One Thousand Words
by WBSerenade
Summary: He falls into her, and then falls for her.  A simple romance with a twist.  All human, All Eric POV.  Edited, re-posted version of the original.
1. Chapter 1

**_Here's my blanket disclaimer for the entire story. All characters not created by me belong to Charlaine Harris. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just swimming in her fishbowl._**

**Chapter One**

It could not have been a more horrible day. The photo shoot I had been working on turned to shit practically before it even started, and once it did, it went down hill fast.

I found it comical that even after ten years in the business, I was still surprised by how unprofessional the celebrities I worked with were. I'd shot every famous person you could possibly think of for all of the major rags, and their inconsiderate behavior never ceased to amaze me. Time was money, and if there were two things I cared about in this world more than just about anything, it was _my_ time and _my_ money. Apparently, those facts were lost on them, though.

I had waited for over an hour for my model to arrive, and then another hour and a half for the make-up artist to whip her up in to something that resembled a human. She'd obviously been on an all-night bender, and she looked like hell.

Pam, my sister and assistant, could sense the anger that was boiling up inside me and did her best to rush the make-up artist along, but to no avail. In an effort to calm myself while I waited, I checked and re-checked my equipment and then had the set director rearrange some of the props. None of it worked. I was as cranky as I could possibly be.

"Sit down, Eric. You're making me twitch with all that pacing."

"Lay off, Pam. I'm in no mood for your shit today. I have things I have to do, and that bag of bones is eating in to my time."

She smirked at me, which infuriated me even more. But I was glad she knew me well enough to at least understand when to shut the fuck up, because she didn't speak again until the model walked on set.

"Carolina, darling. You look ravishing today," Pam cooed as the nearly six-foot tall Russian blonde sashayed in the room, dressed only in 4 inch stilettos and a matching blue lace bra and panty set. I swear I saw my sister lick her lips. Sometimes it seemed that woman had more testosterone coursing through her veins than I did.

I loved my sister, but her taste in women was almost worse than mine. After so many years in the game, I at least had the good sense not to dip my stick in that muck anymore. Pam apparently hadn't received the memo yet. To be sure, most of the women I worked with were beautiful, but there was no substance to them. I'd had my fair share, so I should know. But for Pam, the one night stand with a gorgeous woman was just her thing.

After hours of delay, the shoot finally got under way, and every imaginable thing that could go wrong did. There was no air conditioning in the rented space, and the lighting equipment made the heat nearly unbearable. I was uncomfortable, and Carolina was sweating so much that we were constantly stopping for makeup touch-ups. Worst of all, though, was that my photographs sucked. I mean, really, really sucked.

"What the hell is wrong with you today, Eric? These look like shit." Pam was sitting in front of the monitor, looking at the photos that popped up as I shot. She wasn't wrong. They did look like shit.

Pam saw the pained look on my face, jumped out of her chair and walked over to Carolina.

"Carolina, my love, why don't you go take a break? Eric and I need to make some minor adjustments." Pam patted her on her ass on the way to the dressing area.

Once the Russian was out of earshot, Pam asked, "What's up with you? This is a gravy job. You can do this in your sleep."

I sighed heavily, and sat back against the wall, setting the camera to my side and pushing my hands through my hair. I bent forward, crossed my arms atop my knees, and rested my head against them.

"I don't know, Pam. I'm just not feeling it. I'm not feeling anything."

That was something I was not used to. No matter what else had gone on in my life, I had never let my work suffer. But at that point, I just couldn't seem to get it right. I had no idea what was wrong. I used to be able to look at something, anything, and capture it on film in a way no one else could. But suddenly, it seemed that a four year-old was more capable of taking an effective photo than I was.

I keep telling myself to pull it together. What man wouldn't be happy shooting a national lingerie campaign?

_Me, apparently, _was my internal reply. _Shit._

I knew my friends thought I was going crazy. To the outsider looking in, my life was perfect. My work had graced the covers of nearly every major fashion and music magazine. I had a fabulous apartment in Gramercy. I had more money than any one person could possibly ever need. I could screw any woman in Manhattan six ways to Sunday if I wanted to. In short, I should have been happy, but I felt so…uninspired. Something was missing, but I simply couldn't put my finger on what it was.

"Look, Eric. Felipe is paying us a lot of money to do this shoot. You need to pull yourself together, even if it's only for today. I'll clear your schedule for the next couple of weeks if you want. Take a vacation, get laid, whatever. But you have to get through this right now."

Pam's was right. I had to do it. God, I hated it when she was right. I took a deep breath and pushed myself up off the floor. Once I felt I'd gained enough of my composure back, I told Pam to call Carolina back in.

I don't know how I did it, but somehow, we got the shots we needed and the shoot ended without any further interruptions. I was spent, and just wanted to go home and crawl in to bed. Unfortunately, I needed to head uptown to a friend's gallery opening. After I made sure all my equipment was stowed away and secure, I called Pam over from the dressing area where she was enjoying the sight of Carolina changing in to her street clothes.

"All set, Eric?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Make sure all my equipment gets back to my place. I'm taking the Canon with me to Sam's gallery opening."

"No problem," she agreed. "Oh, and Eric, I mean it. Take some time off. I've already cleared your schedule. You have two weeks to get out of whatever the hell kind of funk it is you're in. I suggest you use it wisely. You're turning in to a real pain in the ass."

Compassion really wasn't one of her better qualities. I was grateful, though, and told her as much. Then I left my sister to her Russian, and ran downstairs to catch a cab uptown.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I had never been happier to leave a place in my entire life. My breathing was labored, and it felt as if my heart was going to pound its way out of my chest. I was even sweating, and I _did not_ sweat.

_Jesus Christ! Is this what a panic attack feels like? Get it together, man! Snap out of it! _I told myself.

I decided I needed a drink. There was no way I could go to Sam's gallery in the state I had been in. People would think I'd gone insane. But then I realized I still had my car. If I was going to drink, I would not be driving. There was no way in hell I would ever do anything to harm that cherry-red piece of American craftsmanship.

I dialed Pam's mobile and she picked up on the first ring. "Damn it, Eric. You're interrupting my 'get to know you' session with Carolina. What do you want?"

"Do you have the spare keys to my 'Vette on you?"

"Yes," she barked. "Why do you ask?"

There was no use in sugar-coating it. "I need a drink, and I need one now. That means no driving. Can you get it home for me?" Pam was the only person in the world allowed to drive my baby.

She practically squealed with delight. "Ooh, goodie! Carolina will love it. Yes, Eric, I can get it home for you…though it might be back late tonight." I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head and once again, I found myself falling in to the realm of too much information where Pam's love life was concerned.

I wanted to tell her not to let that woman within ten feet of my car, but I simply couldn't find the energy to do so. All I said was "thanks," and promptly hung up.

I hailed a cab and jumped in, thanking god it wasn't raining. Cabs are damned near impossible to find on a Friday afternoon in midtown, let alone during a rain storm. I hated the fucking subway, and was happy not to have to take it.

I gave the driver directions, and then sank back in the seat and closed my eyes. I needed to focus.

_Think, damn it! What in the hell is wrong with me?_

Memories started flooding my brain; thoughts of simpler times when I knew what made me happy played in my head like a movie. When I was younger, I traveled the world, taking photographs as my passion, not my profession. I had been damn good at it, too. I used to know how to tell a story without words, simply through the pictures I took. Ghettos in India, war-torn cities in the Middle East, famine-plagued towns in Africa…they all moved me. I took the photographs so I wouldn't forget them, so the whole world wouldn't forget them, because they were stories worth telling. It wasn't long before newspapers and magazines began to buy my images, and I remembered feeling that I was making a contribution, even if it was only in my own small way.

But the money was crap, and my mother had become ill, so I started photographing anything and everything to rake in the dough to pay her enormous medical bills. People began to notice. Soon I was doing fashion layouts for the likes of Vogue and GQ – even shooting covers for Rolling Stone. The fact that I was making triple the amount of cash for that fluff over what I felt was meaningful and useful work wasn't lost on me. But in the end, the money didn't matter anyways. Mom died, and I had sold my soul to the devil.

I was in, and I couldn't – or wouldn't – get out.

The cab stopped and I opened my eyes, practically willing myself to get out. Paying the man his fare, I grabbed my Canon & bag and jumped out on to the curb in front of The Continental.

I was so preoccupied that I didn't noticed the tables set up on the street front of me. When I swung myself around out of the cab, I ran into someone, and took whoever it was down to the ground with me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

My fall was broken by someone small and soft. I was sure that who ever it was, they had to be dead, or at least severely damaged upon impact. I am not a little man by any means. _"Just__ fucking great!" _I thought. My day was about to get a whole lot worse.

Suddenly, I felt movement under me. Small hands were pushing against my chest, and muffled groans were spilling forth.

_Oh, thank god. She's still alive. But I'm about to die of embarrassment._

I shifted my weight, trying to get my bearings so I could lift myself off of her. When I was able to open my eyes, I saw that I couldn't tell where my hair ended and hers began. That was an odd sight, to be sure. Our hair was nearly the exact same shade of blonde. I inhaled deeply, now that my lungs were accepting oxygen again. Whoever the person was underneath me, well, they smelled amazing. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but if pressed, I would describe it as a combination of sunlight, coconut and flowers. I felt her moving again, and for the first time, I raised my face to see exactly who it was I'd nearly killed.

When my eyes found hers, I couldn't speak. I had fully intended to apologize profusely and ask her for assurances that she was unhurt. But the words wouldn't come. It was as if the wind was knocked out of me all over again. She was beautiful. I'd never seen anything like her, and I knew in that moment I never would again.

Her large blue eyes locked on mine. I couldn't read what was going on behind them, but I prayed with everything I had that it had nothing to do with fear. A woman as lovely as she had nothing to fear from the likes of me. Well, that's not entirely true. But I certainly didn't think that whisking her away, loving her and taking care of her for the rest of her life were necessarily things that normal women were afraid of.

Surely those weren't punishable offenses, right?

Even more surprising than those thoughts was what happened next. For a split second, she simply grinned at me, and then, before I could even consider returning her smile, she lifted her beautiful face and kissed me. It was gentle and soft, and I was pretty sure I would have been perfectly happy to stay locked on them for the rest of my existence. Her lips were warm and full, and they tasted of something sweet; lemons and sugar, I decided. I was pretty sure I let out a groan when she released her mouth from mine, and then she surprised me once more by doing damnedest thing. She giggled.

"What's so funny?" I asked. I slowly rose up on my elbows as I spoke and was finally able to take in the rest of her face. She was grinning, and I could feel her body shake with laughter under mine.

"Well, I had to do something to snap you out of it and get you off me," she teased. "You weigh a ton, you know that?" And for the first time in what seemed like forever, I laughed.

Grudgingly, I began the process of extracting my body from hers. I suddenly became aware of all the people watching us, and I know I should have felt embarrassed, but the truth was, the only person whose opinion mattered to me was now holding my hand as I lifted her from the sidewalk.

"I'm so sorry," I offered, knowing full well I really wasn't. There was no way I was going to tell her that little tidbit, though.

"It's okay," she replied. "Really, I'm fine. Besides, it's not every day a girl gets to bump in to an angel."

_Oh, Christ, _I thought_. _ I'd given her a concussion. She was totally out of it.

She started to giggle again, and I though I was still uncertain of her well-being at that moment, I took that as a good sign. She began the process of setting her hair and clothing to rights, and that's when I was finally able to take all of her in. I decided I had been wrong about thinking her beautiful earlier. Somehow, that word didn't come close to describing what she truly was. Radiant, stunning, gorgeous…there wasn't a word in my vocabulary that did her justice.

Her hair was long and wavy, as if she'd let it dry in the sun after a day at the beach. It was swept away from her face by a small braid at each side that tied together in the back. She was glowing and tan, and if she wore any makeup, I certainly couldn't tell. Her body was small, but curved in all the right places, and the long white dress she wore made her look like a direct descendant of the statues of the goddesses I'd photographed in Athens.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" She was standing before me, hands on her hips, laughing for all she was worth, attempting to get me to speak.

"So, Mr. Angel, are you alright? Did you hit your head?"

Did I? It certainly felt like I had. My brain was a jumbled mess of thoughts. _C'mon, man! Get in the game!_ I thought to myself.

"No, no. I'm fine," I replied. "Are you sure you're alright? I feel like a complete asshole. Is there anything I can do to make up for the fact that I nearly crushed you to death?"

"I promise, I'm perfectly well," she stated through what I thought was the beginnings of a devious grin. "But if you really feel you need to make something up to me, I do have a suggestion."

And that was when I knew I would do anything this girl ever asked of me…and even things she didn't.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"So, Mr. Angel, do you have a name, or would you prefer I continue referring to you as a celestial being?"

_Glorious and charming. I was up shit's creek without a paddle, for sure._

"I can't lie to you. I'm beginning to enjoy being called that, but Eric will suffice."

_There I am! That's the smooth Eric I know! I'm back, baby!_

Her fingers pressed against her chin for the smallest of moments, as if she were considering what I had said.

"Eric," she purred, rolling my name around on her tongue as if she were testing it out. "Hmm...I like it. It suits you. Yes, much better than Mr. Angel, I think. It's nice to meet you, Eric." She reached out her tiny hand to shake mine, and the warmth I felt when she touched me turned me into complete mush.

_And, I'm back out of the game…_

"You really should stop staring like that, Eric. People might get the impression you're mute," she mused.

_Shit, shit, shit…Think, Eric. Ask her for her name, jackass!_

I practically willed myself to snap out of it. "May I please have the pleasure of requesting the name of the woman I tackled, and to whom I'm apparently now indebted to?"

_There you go, Eric. Lay on the charm. She'll be putty in your hands._

"Well, my legal name is Susannah, but my friends all call me Sookie."

_Her friends call her Sookie? Does that mean I'm her friend? Crap. Now what do I do?_

"It's nice to meet you, too…Sookie," I hedged. The smile on her face let me know I'd made the right choice.

_He shoots! He scores!_

"So, Sookie," I asked as I stepped a fraction closer to her, "what is this suggestion you were referring to earlier?"

_I really liked saying her name. Sookie, Sookie, Sookie...get a grip on yourself, you pussy!_

"Well, why don't you grab those and come over to the table with me? We can talk about it over there." She motioned towards my camera and bag, which I hadn't even thought about since I slammed in to her. I reached down to grab them, and after a careful once-over, thanked my lucky stars that they were in one piece.

I followed her over to the table, realizing while I walked that the sight of her from behind was just as breathtaking as the view from the front. She glanced over her shoulder at me and winked, making sure I was following, no doubt, and I just about had a heart attack from that one simple gesture.

Many women had looked at me that way since, well, puberty, but they had never elicited the intense response from my body the way Sookie did. The sun was just starting to go down, and the late summer light cast a pink glow across her hair. It was magical. _She_ was magical. I would follow her anywhere.

When we reached the table, Sookie motioned for me to step behind it, and introduced me to the older woman sitting there. "Octavia, this is Eric. Eric, this is Octavia, my dear friend and assistant at the center."

Octavia regarded me with what I could tell were wise eyes, smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Eric. Thank you for not crushing our dear Sookie. She's too valuable to us. It would have been a shame to lose her." She laughed, then, loud and hearty, and I knew instantly that I liked her very much. Anyone who cared about Sookie would be a friend of mine.

"Good to meet you, too, Octavia," I replied, and shook her hand.

"Well that's quite a grip you have there, son. I hope Sookie will decide to keep you around. We need someone to do some heavy lifting from time to time, and you seem just right for the job."

_If she keeps me around, I'll do everything for her, _I thought.

"Oh, Octavia, I have bigger plans for him than lugging boxes of supplies," Sookie laughed. I couldn't help it. I gave her my best lopsided grin. She had plans for me!

_Oh shit, I'm staring again! Look away, Eric! Look away! Wait, was she staring at me, too? Did she just bite her lower lip?_

In a concerted effort not to look like a complete fool, I began to look around the table at the stacks of flyers and literature on it. I picked up a pamphlet and studied the logo. It was a sketch of an old farmhouse, and the title underneath it read "Adele's House."

Noticing the curiosity on my face, Sookie began to tell me about what I was looking at.

"Adele's House is the name of the children's center I started about two months ago. Adele was my grandmother, and she was the kindest, most loving person I know. She took me and my brother Jason in when we were little, just after our parents died. Her house was our place of refuge, and for lots of other kids with troubles of their own. She never turned anyone in need away."

She paused then, and for the briefest of moments I saw sadness in her eyes, nearly broke my heart. I wanted to pull her to me and soothe her, but she seemed to recover quickly enough and continued.

"I went to college here in New York and got my Masters in social work. Gran died last year, and with the money she left me, I started the center. I knew it would be the best way to honor her memory. So, with the help of Octavia, some volunteers, and a whole lot of private funding, we're now able to provide a safe haven for kids who have been emotionally, physically and sexually abused. We run after school, weekend and summer programs to re-socialize the kids, and we offer counseling services, free of charge, to the children and their families."

I looked at her, amazed. _Who was this girl?_ People like her didn't exist in my world. I'd never in my life met someone that, well, _good_.

And that's all it took. I was head-over-heels, once-in-a-lifetime in love with her. I knew it was crazy. No one falls in love in thirty minutes…at least not anyone I'd ever met. But I felt it with every fiber of my being. She touched a place deep inside of me, a place I thought I'd buried long ago. _She_ was what was missing in my life. _She_ was the inspiration I'd been looking for.

"This is wonderful, Sookie. Please, tell me how I can help. I'll do anything you ask."

She grinned from ear to ear and replied, "Well, for starters, how good are you with that thing?" She pointed to the camera in my hand. "That's a nice piece of equipment you're carrying. I'm pretty sure I can assume you're no amateur."

"I used to be pretty good, though I'm not so sure anymore." I wasn't lying when I said that. My work had been pure crap lately. Highly stylized, re-touched crap. But crap, nonetheless.

"I hope you'll let me be the judge of that. I have a good feeling about you," she said with a smile. "If I asked you to make up your nearly squashing me by coming to the center tomorrow afternoon and taking pictures for a donor presentation I've been working on, would you do it?"

"On one condition," I bargained.

_Holy, hell, I got my balls back!_

"Name it," she replied with a smirk. Her hands had once again found their way to her hips, and seeing that only served to entice me more.

"Go out with me tonight." It wasn't a request. I wouldn't take no for an answer.

_Please say yes, please say yes!_

Her smirk reshaped itself into a beaming smile. "Deal," she nodded.

_Jesus H. Christ. I'm taking Sookie out. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I knew I looked like an idiot. I could feel my mouth stretched in to a wide grin. I also knew I didn't care, which was odd for me, since keeping up the appearance of being cool usually sucked up such a large part of my energy every day. It came with the territory.

At first, it was just a way to land gigs. Beautiful people only wanted to work with other beautiful people. Then I found the more creative, detached and brooding I appeared, the more they wanted to work with me. Everyone (at least anyone who mattered in New York) wanted to claim the eccentric, temperamental artist as an acquaintance. It did wonders for my bank account, and admittedly, my sex life.

But this girl turned me in to a drooling, love-sick schoolboy with just a few words and a smile. It felt good to let go of the act, especially since I knew she would most likely see right through it anyways. I wondered if the word 'pretense' was even in her vocabulary. With Sookie, I could quickly tell, a person had no choice but to be themselves. If not, she'd call you out on your bullshit. I was, strangely enough, perfectly okay with that.

"You're doing that staring thing again, Eric," she teased. Her words sounded like an admonition, but she was beaming when she said it.

"Oh, sorry," I replied, shaking my head. "I think I'm still in shock that you agreed to go out with me. How soon will you be able to head out? I don't want to interrupt what you're doing here."

"You're not interrupting. We're here recruiting volunteers for the center, and you've just signed up!" _Clever, clever girl._ "I think we're just about done here, though, so I'll help Octavia pack up the van, and then we can head out."

While we talked, Sookie packed up a box with the left over pamphlets and flyers from the table. When she finished, she went to lift it, and I put my gear down and stopped her. "Here, let me do that. Where do you want it?" I asked.

"Maybe I was wrong about that heavy lifting part," she mused. "I think it will be quite handy having you around. Just toss it in the back of the van behind me."

How I hadn't noticed that piece of crap van earlier was completely beyond me. It was painted about four different colors, making it obvious to me that it was pieced together from random scrap metal from the junkyard, and it was a bucket of rust. The same farmhouse logo and the words "Adele's House" from the pamphlets were painted on the side, and that was about the only nice thing I could think to say about it. The thought of Sookie driving that deathtrap scared the shit out of me. I tossed the box in the back and shuddered.

"Are you sure this beast is safe enough for you to be driving?" I furrowed my brow as I asked. She noticed the look I gave her, and though I thought I caught a glimpse of aggravation in her face, she responded with her signature giggle. Every time I heard her do that, my jeans got a little bit tighter.

"Eric, I run a non-profit organization. This beast, as you call it, is the only vehicle we could afford." She gave it a loving pat across the side and then placed a kiss on the logo. I wanted to be that logo more than anything in the world at that moment. "Besides," she continued, "I think she's got character, don't you?"

_And there it was. Inspiration…_

"Wait a second," I demanded suddenly. "Don't move a muscle. I'll be right back." I ran over to where Octavia was packing up and grabbed my gear she'd been minding for me.

"What are you up to?" Sookie questioned when I returned.

"Just go along with me for a minute. Do you think you can you repeat your affections towards that heap for me?" I took off the lens cap and adjusted the settings.

She looked a bit confused, but thankfully played along. Sookie placed her hands on both sides of the logos, bent her lovely right leg up as if she's just received the best kiss of her life, placed her lips against the van and gave me her best come-hither eyes.

"Like this?" she asked, and I nodded. I stood against the side of the van so I could get the full length of her in the frame and began to shoot. After every click, she adjusted her body in to a newer, even more appealing pose. I was never so jealous of a hunk of steel in my entire life.

Octavia walked up after a few minutes, and Sookie put her arm around the woman's shoulder and kissed her cheek. The affection between them was obvious, and I wondered, not for the first time, about their relationship. Octavia was old enough to be her mother, but seeing as Octavia was African-American, I knew that wasn't possible. _A question for another time…_

I began snapping away again, and though Octavia smiled at first, she quickly blushed and put her hands up to her face as if she were embarrassed.

"Don't do that," I begged her. "You look lovely. Please smile for me."

Octavia removed her hands from her face and gave me a toothy smile. Sookie looked at me, then, and I saw something shift in her face. It looked like she was staring through me. I took that photo, too. She regarded me carefully for a moment, and then it passed. I so badly wanted to know what that was all about. _And the questions keep piling up…_

I took a few more snaps, and then Octavia suddenly said, "Alright, you two. Enough of the silliness. I think I can handle the rest of the packing up. I'll take the van back to the center. You kids go and enjoy the night." _I liked this woman more and more every minute. _"Young man, I expect you'll see to it that Sookie gets home safely?"

"Yes, ma'am," I replied. "I'll guard her with my life."

"Good. Then get on out of here and have some fun." She didn't need to tell me twice.

"It really was a pleasure to meet you Octavia. I'll see you tomorrow." And then I did something totally out of character. I hugged her. Octavia and Sookie stood dumbfounded for a moment, then shrugged and hugged one another again as they said their goodbyes.

Sookie turned her full attention back to me and asked, "So, Eric. Where are you taking me?" _Anywhere you want_, I thought, but instead said, "Well, I have somewhere I have to be later tonight, and I would love it if you'd accompany me. Would you mind if we just walked a bit for a while first, though?"

"Sounds good to me," she replied, and grabbed my hand to lead the way.

_Things were definitely looking up for me._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Her hand felt so good in mine. If I were a total cheese ball, I'd have said it was meant to fit in mine. Only mine. But I'm not a cheese ball. _Oh, who the hell was I kidding?_

Once we crossed St. Mark's Place, I stopped keeping track of where we were going, which is pretty funny, since it's about two hundred yards from where I nearly crushed her. Just being there with her was enough for me. We didn't talk for a few blocks, but the silence was far from uncomfortable. In fact, it was downright enjoyable. But if I was going to get to know that amazing creature, I knew I needed to start asking some questions.

"Where did you grow up? You said you came to New York for school, so I know it's not here," I asked.

"I'm from a small town in Louisiana called Bon Temps," she replied. "It's about an hour outside Shreveport. Everyone in my family was raised there. Since my Gran died, the only one left there is my brother. Him, and my house, of course."

"You have a house there?" I asked, surprised.

"Yep. Gran left it to me. It's still my place of refuge. I go there when I'm sad, or when I need a place to get away and think," she responded. "That logo on the side of the beast is actually a sketch of the house."

I didn't like to think about anything making her sad. Seeing her in tears would undo me completely.

"So how do you know Octavia? She's a lot older than you, but you seem incredibly close." I really wanted to know more about the people that she loved.

"She's an old friend of my mother's, actually. She moved to New Orleans with her second husband shortly after my parents passed, but she always came back to spend time with us. She's like a second mother to me. Her husband died shortly before Katrina, and when the hurricane wiped their home out, I moved her into the house in Bon Temps. She got pretty lonely out there, though, so last year she moved to New York to help me with the planning of the center." She swung my arm back and forth with hers for a bit and said, "Now it's my turn to ask a question of you. Where did you grow up?"

"My sister Pam and I were born in Stockholm, actually, but my parents moved us to New York when we were really young. So, technically, I grew up here."

"And you're a professional photographer?" she asked.

"I thought I was. I suppose I still am. I'm really not sure anymore." I couldn't believe I had just made an admission like that to this woman I barely knew, especially since it was something I was barely able to admit to myself.

"It seems to me," she mused, "that you just need a little inspiration." _Boy did she hit the nail on the head…_

I had been so intent on listening to her and holding her hand, that I was completely surprised when I looked up and saw that we were standing right in front of the fountain in Washington Square Park. _How long had we been walking?_ I felt her hand slip from my mine, and a little ache tugged at my heart at the loss of her touch.

My eyes followed her to where she now stood, removing her sandals. The lights of the fountain were sending subtle shimmers across the water. She hitched up the bottom of her dress to her perfect thighs and jumped in.

_Minor heart attack, again…_

She called out to me, and asked me to come in with her. I shook my head, opting instead to capture what I was seeing with my camera. She smiled, then, and said something about me being a party pooper, but I wanted to remember the sight of her like that forever. She was my own personal water sprite, gloriously beautiful in the evening light. I began to shoot, and something I couldn't explain came over me at that moment. I was running around like a madman, snapping away at every available angle. She looked perfect in every frame. After a while, I was so caught up, that it took me a minute to realize that she was no longer in front of the camera, but standing next to me.

She stood up on the very tips of her toes, her face now inches from mine, and whispered, "Do you hear that?"

I listened carefully and heard a guitar softly calling out from somewhere behind us. "Dance with me, Eric," she demanded softly.

I placed my gear down on the ground and pulled her to me. I wrapped one arm around her tiny waist, and took one of her hands and raised it to rest on my chest. She placed her free hand on the small of my back and laid her head on my chest. I could feel the warmth of her skin through my shirt, and it seemed to spread throughout my entire body as we moved to the music. I felt all of the stress from my day wash completely out of me then, knowing full well that it was the tenderness of Sookie's touch that gave me the will to release it.

I leaned down and whispered, "Thank you, Sookie," in her ear. She smiled up at me, and before I knew what I was doing, my hands moved to her face and brought her lips to mine.

If I'd thought our first kiss was amazing, then I didn't know how to classify our second. It started out as something gentle and small…a show of appreciation for the happiness she had sent my way. But how do you stop kissing a woman like that? I couldn't, even if I'd wanted to. Soft brushes against each others' lips turned in to urgent searching. My tongue parted her lips and found hers; soft, warm and pliant. I pressed my body as close to hers as I could and ran my hands down through the length of her hair. As she moved her arms up and around my neck, I pulled her up to my chest. We stayed that way for what seemed like forever. When our mouths finally released, she nibbled at my ear and said, "Now that's what I'd call inspiration."

I nearly took both of us down again from the sheer force of my laughter. My God, what that woman did to me! At some point, we noticed that the music had stopped, and as much as I'd hated to end the perfection of the moment, I told her that we really had to get going. I was sure Sam was already pretty pissed at me for being so late, but I knew that he would understand the moment I introduced him to Sookie.

I grudgingly placed her feet on the ground and grabbed my gear with one hand, taking her hand into mine with the other. I began to lead her out of the park, but knew before we left that there was one more thing I needed to do.

We walked over to where the guitarist was sitting, and reached in to my back pocket for my wallet. I pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and placed it in his case on the ground. The musician winked at me, and I knew that _he knew_ I was a goner.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Sookie stopped when we passed through the Washington Square Arch.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Harry and Sally," she said with a small smile.

"Come again?"

"Harry and Sally. You know...the movie, 'When Harry Met Sally.'" She started giggling again. _I really wished she would stop doing that. My pants were still uncomfortably tight._

"Ok, I'll bite. Tell me," I said.

"This is the exact spot where Sally dropped Harry off to start their new lives in New York. I was thinking that it was a funny coincidence, that's all," she replied.

"Are you going to expand on that, or are you going to make me guess?" I was pretty clueless, so I hoped I didn't have to take a stab at it.

"This is where another great New York City love story began, silly."

_And I am now mush…_

Her giggles turned in to full-on laughter when she caught the expression on my face. She grabbed my hand and murmured, "You can pick your jaw up off the ground now. You might need it later." I was positively dumbfounded as she dragged me out of the park and hailed a cab.

I attempted to collect myself as much as humanly possible, but I would be lying if I said it was easy.

"_Did she really say that?" _

I kept playing it over and over and over again inside my head. When we stepped t in the awaiting taxi and I'd given the address to the gallery to the driver, I pulled her over to me so that her back was against my right side. I draped one arm over her right shoulder, and my left around her waist. She stretched her legs out across the back seat and snuggled in to me. It was quiet for a while, until the sound of her growling stomach broke through the comfortable silence.

"Octavia would be very angry with me if she heard that. She'd accuse me of not taking good enough care of you. Want to stop and grab a bite before we get to where we're going?" I asked.

"Yes, please. I didn't realize how hungry I was. But I know we're late, so anything fast is fine with me."

"Anything?"

"Yep. Anything," she happily agreed.

I leaned forward to let the driver know that we had a change of destination. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a good idea or not once she saw where we were going, but I had to try. If I was going to be serious about this girl, then she had to accept this part of my life. It wouldn't be a deal-breaker if she didn't like it, because it would probably be her one and only flaw, but my heart would ache because of it, if only a little…

The driver stopped the cab at the corner of 72nd and Amsterdam, and before I could even pull my wallet out to pay him, Sookie jumped out of the cab and shouted, "Grays! I love Grays!"

_Holy shit. She loves Grays Papaya. Anyone know where can I get a diamond at this time of night? _

"Hurry up, Eric! I'm starving!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me in to the front door of the greatest hot dog stand on the planet.

When we got up to the front of the line, she said, "I'll take five dogs with everything, and a pina colada." She then looked at me and asked, "What are you having, Eric?"

"You're going to eat five hot dogs?" Surely, I couldn't have heard her correctly.

"My record is seven, but I didn't want to seem unladylike. It is our first date, after all."

_Double holy shit! _

"Eric, your mouth is hanging open again," she chastened, and I quickly snapped out of it.

"I'll have the same as the lovely lady," I said to the cashier, and handed him some money.

We grabbed our dogs and drinks when they were ready and crossed the street to Verdi Square to find a seat, taking an empty bench and then digging in.

Watching Sookie eat was nearly a religious experience. I couldn't take my eyes off her mouth. For the second time that evening, I found myself jealous of an inanimate object. First the van, and now a hot dog. I quickly put my food down, grabbed the Canon and started snapping away again. She rolled her eyes at me as she practically inhaled her food.

_Yep, got that shot, too._

I had to stop focusing on her mouth, so I put my camera back down and began asking questions again. "So Sookie, where do you live?"

"I've got a studio down on the lower east side, but I'm hardly ever there. Most of my time is spent at the center."

"And where's that?" I asked.

"Downtown. Park Place, between West Broadway and Church," she replied. "I got a good deal on the place. It used to be an old Burlington Coat Factory. After September 11th, they never re-opened, like a lot of other places down there. The space is huge, so it was a pretty easy renovation." I suddenly pictured her in overalls and safety goggles, wielding a sledgehammer and laughed to myself. I was willing to bet she looked great that way, too.

"Okay, my turn, now. What kind of photographs do you usually take?" she asked as she licked a bit of mustard off of her thumb.

"Nothing interesting, I promise you. Mostly just print work for music and fashion magazines. I've done a few album covers, too."

"Have you met a lot of celebrities?"

"Yep."

"Well, that must be interesting."

"Not really," I mused. "Hell, compared to this night with you, everything I've done in the past ten years could be considered boring."

She gave me her brightest smile, then, and shoved the last bit of her fifth hot dog in to her perfect mouth. She washed it down with the remainders of her pina colada, and let out a massive belch. "Sorry," she said, holding her hand in front of her mouth. "Happens every time I eat these. So much for being ladylike on our first date."

_Jesus, even her burps are charming…_

Well, I was nothing if not a gentleman. I wasn't about to let her feel bad about it, so I let out a big burp myself. "There. Feel better about that now?" I asked.

"Much!" she beamed, and leaned over and planted sauerkraut and onion-laced kisses on my lips.

_Heavenly…_

Unfortunately, I stupidly looked up behind her head and I was made all too aware of how late I was from the clock atop the Apple Bank. "Sookie, as much as I'd love to sit here and listen to you burp all night, we really do have to get going."

"No worries," she said with a wave of her hand. "Where are we going, anyways?" She got up and stretched gracefully, and then grabbed our trash and tossed it in the bin closest to our bench.

"You'll see," I replied, wiggling my eyebrows at her. "Shall we walk? It's only a few blocks from here."

"We shall," she agreed, and put her perfect hand in mine again, swinging my arm with hers as we made our way to Sam's.

When we entered his gallery, she let out a small gasp. I'd had the same reaction the first time I saw it. I had to admit, Sam had done an excellent job of renovating the space. It was very large with pale walls and rich, dark wood floors. It looked like the large galleries in SoHo, but much less garish. It wasn't something you'd expect to ever see on the Upper West Side. The walls were covered with large landscape photography, digitally altered to exaggerate their amazing colors. Sam's first showing in this space was truly impressive.

I heard Sam's bellow from somewhere behind me and turned around to face him, bringing Sookie with me. "Northman, you're late, you ass…oh, hi there!" He noticed Sookie, and I knew my butt-chewing was over before it even began.

He reached out his hand and extended it to her, and before I had the chance to introduce them, he said "I'm Sam Merlotte, and you're the most beautiful woman I've seen in my whole entire life. Please tell me your name so I can die a happy man."

_Boy, Sam, lay it on a little thick, why don't ya?_

Sookie gave him what I had decided was her trademark giggle, shook his hand and said, "Pleased to meet you, Sam. I'm Sookie. Sookie Stackhouse."

_Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sam, for getting her last name. I can't believe I hadn't asked that yet!_

Sam pulled her in to a giant bear hug and said, "Any friend of Eric's is a friend of mine. Welcome to my gallery." Sookie was laughing hysterically at his enthusiastic greeting.

"Is he always like this?" she asked, looking over his shoulder to me.

"I guess you just bring out the animal in him. It's quite understandable, though. Okay, okay, Sam. Let the girl up for some air." If he wasn't my closest friend, I'd have wanted to punch him for getting that close to her.

When he finally released her, she stood next to me and began digging through her bag. "Damn. I think I left my cell on the front seat of the van," she grumbled. "I wanted to call Octavia and make sure she made it home safely."

"Here, Sookie. Use mine." I handed my phone over to her, but Sam said, "It's too loud in here. You're welcome to use the phone in my office. Follow me."

She looked at me for a moment with her shining eyes, playfully asking me if she'd be safe. I laughed out loud and gave her two thumbs up. Sam offered her his arm and he walked her down the long hallway in the back of the gallery that led to his office. He showed her inside and politely exited, waiting for her just outside the door. I wandered closer to the back, thinking that I might catch a good shot of her smiling with my best friend as she came down the hall. Setting the zoom, I took my place and waited for her to exit.

A few minutes went by before she stepped out. She spoke to Sam, and when he responded, something in her face shifted. I wasn't close enough to see, so I zoomed in even further. She had tears in her eyes. I twitched from the shock of it, and without intending to, my finger accidentally pressed down and took a picture. I ran down the hallway in a near panic.

"What's wrong, Sookie? Is Octavia okay? Are you alright?"

She smiled at me, then, a tear still lingering on her face. I reached over and gently wiped it away, all the while waiting for her to respond. "I'm sorry I worried you, Eric. I didn't mean to. Nothing is wrong."

She went on to explainthat she had been standing in Sam's office talking to Octavia on the phone when she noticed a few photographs mounted on his wall. She said that after she had hung up, she walked over to them, and was so moved by what she saw that she started to cry. She said they were beautiful and terribly sad, and that the faces of the subjects would haunt her forever.

"Sam told me they were your photographs, Eric. Is that true?"

"Yes," I replied. "They're mine."

"Are there more of them?" she whispered.

"Yes, but not here."

"I would really love to see them some time. Would you show them to me?"

"Of course, Sookie. I'll do anything you want."

She inhaled deeply, then, and smiled shyly. "Well, now that I'm past that little emotional outburst, would you mind if I wandered around a bit and checked things out? I'm the reason you were late to the party. The least I can do is give you two a little 'guy' time."

"Go right ahead," I waved her on. "I'll be here talking with Sam."

She stretched up, then, and gave me a light kiss on the cheek before strolling off to explore.

"Holy Mary, Mother of God, Eric! Where in the world did you meet her?" Sam asked as soon as Sookie was out of earshot.

I couldn't hold it in. Any of it. I told him everything…the collision, the kiss, the bribery, the beast, the fountain, the dance, the next kiss, the hot dogs, the burps, the third kiss…_everything_. I felt like a teenage girl relating the events of the evening down to the tiniest detail. I even told him about how I'd considered finding someone to buy a diamond off of after hearing her admit her love of Grays Papaya hot dogs. He regarded me silently for a moment when I'd finally stopped talking. Sam had known me for a long time. If I was doing something stupid or irresponsible, he'd be the first person to tell me, right after Pam, of course.

A large grin spread across his face, and all he said was, "Man, if it had been me, I would have had her at the Justice of the Peace after the first kiss. You're one lucky son of a bitch, Eric. Don't fuck it up." He clapped me on the back, let out a huge laugh, and walked away.

I took that as my cue to find Sookie. After I few minutes of searching, I spotted her standing in front of a very large photograph of an open farm field. She looked lost in thought, and the sight of her knocked the breath out of me.

_I am a lucky S.O.B._, I thought.

I wanted to remember her in that moment forever. Taking a stance behind her, I framed her so that it looked as if she were a giant goddess, standing in the farm field, blessing it with her beauty. When I was satisfied that I had the picture I wanted, I moved so I could stand directly behind her. I threaded my arms around her waist and placed my face next to hers, resting my head on her shoulder.

"See something you like?" I asked.

"I've seen lots of things I like tonight," she replied. "But yes, this is lovely. It reminds me of home, of the fields outside Gran's house. I miss it some times, and I guess I'm feeling a little homesick looking at it." She rubbed her hands along my forearms that were still tightly around her waist and relaxed her body backwards in to mine.

"I'd like to see it sometime," I whispered to her.

"I'd like to show it to you."

"Then let's go," I offered.

"When?"

"Tomorrow night sounds good to me. We can go right after we work on your presentation."

"You're crazy!" she exclaimed.

Maybe I was crazy, but I didn't care. I wanted to spend every possible minute with her. "I'm serious. Let's do it."

She seemed to only think about it for a second before responding. "Okay, I guess I'm crazy too, then. Let's do it!" She turned around, jumped up, and hugged me. Once again, this woman surprised the hell out of me.

"How long can you take off from the center?" I asked.

"How long do we have?" she teased, nibbling a bit at my ear.

"As long as you want. I don't have anything scheduled for two weeks."

"I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Octavia alone for more than a week. Would that be okay?"

"Seven whole days with you? Are you kidding? It would be a dream come true. I'll handle all the arrangements. How long do you think we'll need at the center tomorrow?"

"Just a few hours. We could be out of there by one in the afternoon. I would also have to pack a bag."

"Where's the closest hotel to your house? I'll have to book a room for myself."

She snorted and said, "You've obviously never been to Bon Temps. There isn't a hotel. But don't worry. There are lots of bedrooms in my house. You can stay there with me."

_Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God._

I had no idea how I was going to behave myself with Sookie under the same roof.

_Suck it up, man! Do NOT look this gift horse in the mouth! Just do it!_

"Don't move a muscle," I ordered. "I'll be right back." I kissed the tip of her nose and ran back to Sam's office to call my sister.

Pam picked up on the fourth ring. "Do you think I can get through an entire evening without you calling me twenty times, Eric Shithead Northman?"

"How'd you know it was me?" I asked.

"Who else calls me in the middle of the friggin' night?"

_She had a point there._

"You love me and you know it. Stop acting like you don't want to talk to me." I loved fucking with my sister. She aleays made it so easy for me.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my gloomy, asshole brother? You sound positively giddy, Eric. Spill it."

"Maybe I am giddy," I replied. "But listen, I only have a minute. Do you have a pen?"

"Shoot," she said.

"Okay. First, I need two round-trip tickets from New York to Shreveport for any time after six tomorrow night, returning next Sunday afternoon. One in my name, and one in the name of Susannah Stackhouse. Get a private chartered flight, and make sure it's fully loaded. Second, I'll need a rental car. A convertible if possible."

"Eric, what the hell is going on?"

"Let me finish," I replied. "I'll explain it all tomorrow. Third, I need you to get my car and my gear down to a place called 'Adele's House' on Park Place, between West Broadway and Church Street tomorrow by 9am. Bring the plane tickets with my equipment. I'll need you to say and assist me. Someone will have to come back after four and pick you and the gear up. I'll be driving my car to the airfield."

"Oooooo-kaaaaay….anything else, boss?"

"Yes, actually. You wouldn't happen to know how much a brand-new fifteen passenger van costs, would you?"

"Good night, Eric," she hissed in to the phone. "I'll see you in the morning. I'm bringing a shrink with me, too." And with that, she hung up.

Pam was right. I was positively giddy. For the first time in a long time, I was honestly, truly, one hundred percent happy.

I left the office and went back to Sookie. She was standing next to Sam, doubled over and glowing with laughter. I stopped to take a photo of the both of them together, marveling at how easily she was already fitting in to my life. When Sam saw me coming, he grabbed my camera from me and said, "Here, give me that. Let me get a picture of the two of you together."

_Have I told you you're a genius, Sam?_

I pulled her into me, staring down at her angelic face, and she raised her big blue eyes to meet mine. Sam snapped the photo and stood there regarding us for a moment.

"Hey, Eric. Have you introduced Sookie to Pam yet?" he asked.

"Nope. Not yet. Why?"

"I was just thinking that you should probably marry her before she meets your sister. Otherwise, Pam might think it would be alright to try to turn her over to the dark side." I wanted to kick him and hug him at the same time.

Sookie looked confused, but I chuckled and attempted to explain, "Sookie, Pam, well, Pam likes girls. You? Well, you'd be right up her alley."

A look of understanding crossed her face, and she giggled softly.

It was getting late, and Sookie and I had a big day the following day. I asked her if she was ready to leave, and she nodded. We said our goodbyes to Sam and on the way out, I took one last look back at him. He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat and giving me a big thumbs up.

When we were outside, Sookie curled in to my chest and put her arms around my waist. She hugged me tightly, and asked me if she could see more of my photos.

"Tonight?" I asked and she nodded.

I placed my hands on either side of her face and whispered my words softly across her lips. "Sookie, they're all at my house. If you want to see them tonight, you'll have to come home with me. Do you want to come home with me?"

She pressed her lips against mine, softly exploring my mouth with hers. She pulled back just enough to respond with a whispered kiss of her own. She only said one little word, but it was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. "Yes."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

After hearing Sookie tell me she wanted to go home with me, the rest of the world pretty much melted away. Everything went a little fuzzy. I don't remember how long we stood kissing in front of Sam's gallery, and though I vaguely remember hailing a cab, I can't for the life of me think of exactly when I'd given the driver my address. The only thing I did remember was that I was grateful the typically shitty weekend city traffic seemed to move smoothly, because it meant that I would be getting her back to my home all the faster because of it. When the driver pulled up in front of my building, my lips were still on Sookie's mouth, and he let out more than a few "Ahem's" before finally saying, "Sir, we're here."

I paid the man, adding on a hefty tip, and took Sookie's hand to help her from the car. I led her to my house; an old carriage house in Gramercy that I'd painstakingly renovated back to what I hoped was its former glory. She stopped and took it all in, and asked, "This is your home?"

"Yep. What do you think?" I so very much wanted her to love it as much as I did. Gramercy Park is such a unique part of New York. There are beautiful tree-lined streets, and more outdoor space than many of the other areas in Manhattan.

"It's unbelievable, Eric. But the whole building…it's yours?"

"Every square foot of it." I took her hand again and walked her up the wide staircase to the oversized double front door. I fished my keys out of my pocket and unlocked it. When I pushed it open, I placed my hand on the small of her back and ushered her in before me.

She took my hand again and I watched her take in the exposed brick walls and dark wooden floors. The first floor consisted of a small half-bath and my living room, which opened up in to a large kitchen. On the far end of one wall, a set of French doors led outside to the back of my building. She didn't speak, and I took that as a good sign. I wanted her to feel comfortable here, and something told me she was more than impressed.

I gently pulled her along with me to the French doors and led her out back. I flipped a switch on the wall by the doors and the lights I'd strung throughout the trees twinkled above us.

"Oh, my God, Eric. It's magical!" She exclaimed.

We were standing on the patio next to a small table and some chairs. A path connected to the patio led further to the back of my property and I watched her as she followed it with her eyes. It ended at a small building, designed to look like a tinier version of my house.

"How did you do all of this? No one has a back yard in Manhattan," she gasped.

"Well," I explained, "I bought the carriage house first, and when the apartment building behind me went up for sale, I bought it and tore it down. I built the smaller building you see there to use as my studio. Come with me. I want you to see what's inside."

We followed the path to the studio and I unlocked the door, holding it open for her. I flipped on the lights so she was better able to take it all in. As I usually did, I felt a little ache in my chest when I first stepped inside. I hadn't been back there in a very long while. It hurt too much, and I had avoided it for that very reason.

Sookie pulled her hand away from mine and ventured further inside. She walked past the small couch and coffee table to the wall farthest away from me and looked up. For a few moments she stayed that way, and then turned back to look at me. Waiving her hand in front of the wall, she said, "These are all yours." It was a statement, not a question. I simply nodded and watched her as she looked from photograph to photograph along the wall.

I stood there with my hands in my pockets, feeling exposed and vulnerable, wondering like crazy what she was thinking. She hadn't said anything in quite a while, and continued to walk around the room looking at my work. Before I knew it, Sookie had made her way to the wall in front of the couch and was staring intently at the photographs mounted and framed on it. She turned around and gave me another questioning glance.

"It's my family," was my response, choking slightly on the words as they came out. I couldn't read the expression on her face as she turned back around. She walked a little closer to the wall, in front of a picture of my sister.

"Pam?" she asked.

"Yes, that's her," I replied.

"I would know her anywhere," she whispered. "You two look exactly alike."

She continued her way along the wall, stopping at each picture as if she wanted to take the appropriate amount of time to memorize everything about them. She first looked at a picture of Pam, my mother and my father on one of those ridiculous Statue of Liberty cruises, then moved to another, one of my mom and dad beaming at each other at their 30th anniversary party. She then stepped in front of the image of my mother sitting on my father's hospital bed, her arm around him, giddily kissing his cheek. The last one was a photograph of my mother, laid out on a chaise in her garden. A book rested on her lap, and she was asleep. She had a bandanna wrapped around her head, the tell-tale sign of chemotherapy and illness.

I could see Sookie's shoulders shake, and I was compelled to move forward to comfort her.

"You've lost almost everyone, too," she murmured through her sobs.

I stepped in front of her and took her face in my hands. Sookie looked up at me through tear-filled eyes and I swear, I died just a little bit at that moment when I saw the sadness wash over her face. I took her in my arms and said, "Shhh, its ok. We've got each other now."

We stood like that for several minutes, holding on for all we were worth, until I broke the embrace to take her by the hand and lead her back to the house.

We didn't speak for a few moments when we returned to the living room. Sookie was the first to break the silence.

"Your photographs are beautiful, Eric. I'm so glad you trusted me enough to show them to me. I could tell it was difficult for you."

"It was another time in my life, Sookie. A time when everything was happy, and I felt fulfilled. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Well, not until tonight."

I sat down on the arm of the couch, and lifted my hand, beckoning her to me. She came to me and sat on my lap, wrapping one arm around my neck. She kissed my cheek, and then brought her lips up to my ear. I shivered slightly at the feeling of her warm breath on me, and when she spoke, all the tension of the experience in the studio washed away from me.

"Eric, if what you feel for me after tonight is even half of what I'm feeling for you, then I promise you I'll do everything in my power every day to make sure you feel just as happy as you did back then."

My body shook at her words. I started to cry then, and I couldn't stop. All of the sadness, the anger, the loneliness…it was as if she was willing it out of me with just her words and her touch. I had exposed my soul to this unbelievable woman, and in return, she offered me a chance at happiness again. It was almost too much for me to bear, and heavy sobs emanated from my chest, but she just held me. She was being strong for me, and I knew in that instant that I would do anything I could to keep her by my side forever.

When it had all passed out of me and I'd calmed down, I said, "Sookie, it's late. We have a long, wonderful day in front of us tomorrow, and as much as I don't want this night to end, we should get some sleep."

She agreed, grudgingly, then kissed the tip of my nose and rose from my lap. I grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs to the spare bedroom.

"Pam stays here pretty frequently, so I'm sure you'll find something of hers to fit you in the closet. Use whatever you'd like. I'm going to go back downstairs for a few minutes & lock up, but I promise to come back and tuck you in."

She smiled at me, and I could have sworn I saw a hint of a devilish grin begin to form on her face. I turned and walked back downstairs to lock the doors and turn off the lights. Before I walked back up, I rested against the wall at the base of the stairs for a few moments. I tried to wrap my head around the events of the night, but I simply couldn't. How does one make sense of something so unexpected? Coming to the realization that I wasn't going to figure it all out that night, I walked back up the stairs to say goodnight to Sookie.

I knocked lightly on the door of the spare bedroom, but when I didn't get a reply, I opened it and looked in. There was no sign of her, and suddenly, I felt panicked.

_Please, God, tell me I didn't just imagine this whole evening_, I thought.

I walked to the bathroom, hoping that I would see the door closed, confirming her presence again in my home. She wasn't there, of course, and the panic settled in further. I called out to her, praying and hoping that she hadn't been a figment of my often over-active imagination.

Her voice came from my bedroom down the hall, relief hitting me instantly. "In here, Eric."

I followed the sound of her voice, and was stopped in my tracks in the doorway. Sookie, my beautiful, amazing Sookie, was standing against my bed in nothing but one of my white button-down shirts. She shrugged her shoulders, and had a slightly guilty look on her face.

"I hope you don't mind," she shrugged. "I just like the feel of you, or at least something of yours, against my skin. Would it be okay if I stayed in your room with you tonight?" She was so stunning that it almost hurt to look at her. I ached to touch her, to smell her.

Every bit of control I had left me in that moment, and ran to her as if my life depended on it. When I picked her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist and kissed me fiercely. I walked us over to the bed and gently laid her down on top of the down comforter. I chucked my shirt on the floor, and then took off my jeans, leaving only my boxers on. I climbed in and lay on my back, motioning for her to lay her head on my chest. She curled her warm, perfect body in to mine, and looked up at me with smiling blue eyes.

"I want you, Eric. I can't tell you how much I want you," she said. "But if it's all the same to you, I think we should wait, at least for a little while. This night has been so perfect that all I really want to do is have you hold me tonight, and wake up in your arms tomorrow."

I placed a finger under her chin and pulled her face to mine, laying a tender kiss on her lips and said, "Sookie, I'll wait forever for you if I have to."

"Forever is a very long time, Eric, and I know I don't have that kind of will-power," she mused.

I laughed out loud, and said, "I was hoping it wasn't going to have to come to that."

I sat up then, and maneuvered the comforter out from underneath us. When we were both under it, I pulled her back to me, and said, "Sweet dreams, Sookie. Thank you for tonight. I'll never forget it."

She mumbled something softly, then, and I knew she'd already fallen asleep. The sounds of her breathing sent waves of comfort over me, and I drifted off in to sweet dreams of my own.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

I woke up early. I couldn't help it. My inner alarm clock buzzed, alerting me to the fact that there was a gorgeous woman next to me in my bed, and that I needed to get my ass up and start worshipping her. I lay there on my side for some time, my head resting upon on my hand, simply staring at her sleeping form. She looked completely at peace, and I wondered if that was the way I would have looked to anyone if they'd seen me before I awoke that morning. A feeling of utter contentment passed through me as I watched the rise and fall of her chest as she softly breathed. The previous night hadn't been a dream. Sookie was in my bed. Moreover, she was real, and she was in my life.

I slipped quietly out of the bed, not wanting to wake her just yet. We still had plenty of time before we had to leave. I went in the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. I set out a few towels for her, and pulled a new toothbrush out of its wrapper, placing it on top of the counter. I decided against shaving and ran a brush through my hair. When I was finished, I ran downstairs to grab my camera, feeling the urgent need to capture her sleeping image before she rose for the day.

When I came back to the bedroom I noticed she had shifted her position slightly. Her long hair was still spread across the pillow as it was when I'd left her, but she had turned onto her left side. Her legs were bent, pulled up to her chest, and her left hand was tucked under her chin. The sight of her right hand tugged at the once-twisted strings of my heart. While I was away from the bed, she'd placed her hand where my body had been, as if she had been searching for me…reaching out to me.

It was then that I noticed Sookie's little cotton panties for the first time.

_If all women looked that amazing in simple white cotton briefs, Victoria's Secret would have gone out of business a long time ago, _I thought.

She was still in my shirt, so I gently pulled it down over her amazing behind, certain she wouldn't let me take any more photos of her if I'd taken one of her in her undies without her consent. I clicked off a few shots, then placed my camera on the nightstand and crawled back into bed with her.

I moved to face her, propping myself up on my right side. I lifted my hand and gently traced a line from her shoulder down to her hip, following the rise and fall of each perfect curve. She stirred, then, and slowly opened her eyes. I leaned in to her, placing a tentative kiss on her lips. Her mouth curled up in to a tiny smile, and she rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"So, last night wasn't a dream?" she asked.

"Yes, in a way, it was," I replied. "But it doesn't make what happened between us any less real."

"What time is it?"

"A little before seven," I answered.

"No one should have to be awake at this ungodly hour. Let's go back to sleep." She grabbed my hand and pulled it under her chin to rest with hers while snuggling herself in a little closer to me.

I started laughing. I couldn't help myself.

"What's so funny, Mr. Northman?" she asked, one eye opening and staring at me suspiciously.

"Sookie, you've got some killer morning breath going on there."

"Well, it was your bright idea to take me to Grays last night!" she exclaimed, shaking her finger at me.

I was worried I may have hurt her feelings, but she began laughing with me, so no offense had apparently been taken. _Good girl._

She sat up, her hair falling all around her shoulders, and stretched her arms up over her head. I had to pull the sheet up to my waist so she wouldn't see what affect that simple series of movements had on me. _Morning wood can be so inconvenient sometimes._

She gave me a huge grin and asked, "Toothbrush?"

I pointed to the adjoining bathroom, and she playfully crawled over me to get off the bed. She walked in to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, but not before giving me a quick wink. I laid there for a few minutes, wondering how in the world I was going to be able to control myself around her for the next several days. I wouldn't rush her, though. I would let her come to me, in her own time, when she was ready.

I heard the water from the shower running, so I decided to go down to the kitchen and make some coffee. I pulled out two mugs, the sugar and some cream from the fridge. I realized, then, that I didn't know how she took her coffee, or if she even liked coffee, for that matter. I pulled a box of tea out of the cupboard just to cover all my bases. When the coffee finished brewing, I walked over to the pot and poured myself a cup. After taking a sip and burning my tongue, I set the cup down on the counter to let it cool. I turned around, put both of my hands against the counter and rested my hips against it. I crossed one leg in front of the other and stared out the window, excited for what the day would bring.

I heard her coming down the stairs, and when I looked over at her, I felt a shock of lust run from my head straight down to my groin. Sookie walked toward me, wearing nothing but a towel and smile. I couldn't decipher the look on her face, but something told me I was in some serious trouble, and that something was having very difficult time remaining in my boxers at that moment.

Suddenly, the distance between us was closed and she was standing right in front of me, her legs on either side of mine. She leaned in, and the knot on top of her towel grazed my chest. I followed her gaze as she brought her face within an inch of mine, waiting for the moment I'd feel her lips. Instead, she reached around me and grabbed my coffee cup, stepped back and took a sip.

_What the…?_

She saw the question flash across my face, cocked one eyebrow and said, "What? You didn't seriously think you were going to get a kiss after that comment about my breath, did you?"

I stuck out my lower lip and gave her my best version of a pout. She waited a moment, rolled her eyes at me and said, "Oh, alright. But I'm only doing this because you look so damned pathetic." She leaned forward, put down her cup and nibbled on my lower lip before moving in to deepen her kiss. My arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and pulled her into my chest. She smelled as amazing as she did the previous night, with the added bonus of the scent of my soap on her skin. I wanted to devour her. I think I may have even growled.

She pulled back slowly, and asked, "There. All better now?"

"I'm not sure. I'll let you know in a minute when my brain starts functioning again," I chuckled.

"Which brain are you referring to, Eric? Because the one on the lower level seems to be functioning just fine." She giggled as she pointed down to the tent that Eric Jr. had pitched in the front of my shorts.

She grabbed her – _wait, my!_ – coffee cup and walked over to the doors that lead out to the back yard. She closed her eyes and lifted her head, warming her face in the sun that was streaming through the window. I couldn't tell what thoughts were running through her mind, but she looked beautiful and, I dare say, very happy.

I pinched myself, then, just to confirm that everything was, in fact, still real. I thought about how easy it felt with her, how natural standing in the kitchen with her was, sharing a kiss over a cup of coffee in the morning. I remembered back to when Pam and I were little, watching my mother kiss my father goodbye before he left for work. I pictured the knowing, loving smile they would share, the smile they reserved for only each other. I thought about how badly I missed the simplicity of those small, intimate moments, and I said a silent prayer to whatever god was listening, begging him to let me keep this woman.

As if my prayer had been answered, she left her place at the window and came to me. She curled her arms around my waist and buried her face in my T-shirt.

"Are we really going to Bon Temps today, or was that just a dream I had last night?" she asked.

I kissed her temple and assured her that yes, we really were.

She lifted her face to mine, kissed me softly and said, "Last night was the best night of my life. If it didn't go any further than this, I would still leave here happy. But now, I get to have a whole week with you, and it's almost too good to be true. You've made me a very happy girl, Eric Northman."

I grabbed her face, covered every inch of it with feathery kisses, and then asked, "You're going to change my whole life, aren't you, Sookie?"

She graced me with a glorious smile and said, "Of course I am, silly."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

I had to hand it to myself. I didn't think I'd be able to pull my shit together enough to leave the house with Sookie, but somehow, I did it. I suppose it was the prospect of spending an entire week with her that propelled me forward, but I'll be damned if it wasn't difficult to stop myself from scooping her up and dragging her back to bed after she'd confirmed in the kitchen what I'd already suspected to be true…she was going to change my life forever. But nothing was going to change if I stayed standing in the kitchen in my underwear, so I packed my bags, grabbed my girl and walked out the door, thrilled at the possibilities of what the next week would bring.

We were outside my house when I realized I'd forgotten something. "Shit, Sookie. Stay right here. I almost forgot to pack something. I'll be right back."

I left my luggage, but kept my camera bag with me. I unlocked the door and flew up the stairs to my bedroom. I walked over to the dresser, pulled the black velvet pouch out of the top drawer and carefully placed it in one of the zippered compartments of the camera bag. I stopped for a second, fully realizing the implications of what I meant to do with it. Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and ran back out the door to Sookie.

We jumped in a cab and headed down to her apartment on the Lower East Side. It was a quick ride, and when we pulled up to her apartment on Broome Street, I paid the cabbie and grabbed my bags out of the trunk.

"Lead the way, Sookie," I said.

She put her key in the front door, and then stopped to grab her mail.

"What floor are you on?" I asked.

"The fifth."

"You've got to be kidding me," I groaned. "You walk up all of these stairs every day?"

"How else am I going to stay in shape?" she teased. "It's not as if I can afford a gym membership in this city. Have you seen what they charge? It's criminal."

She started up the stairs, and I was never happier to climb up four flights in my entire life. It afforded me a lovely view of her amazing backside, and I had a fleeting thought to kiss each and every step as I ascended them, simply out of sheer gratitude for there presence.

When we entered her tiny apartment, she said, "Make yourself at home. I'll only be a few minutes." She grabbed some things out of her closet, then, and went in to what I assumed was her bathroom.

Her scent was everywhere, and it overwhelmed me. Surrounded by her belongings, I was hoping to get some better insight as to who this amazing girl was, but it was all I could do to stop myself from simply basking in her loveliness.

The apartment was no bigger than a shoe box, really, but she had managed to turn it in to a cozy home. Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the longest wall, and there was a worn, comfortable-looking chair and ottoman in front of the bay window with a small end table sitting next to it. Her bed was placed against the wall opposite the bookshelves. The kitchen, if one could call it that, consisted of a sink, a smattering of small cabinets, and a two-burner stove. Her laptop sat atop a small table which, from the look of it, was also where she ate her meals. That was it. No television, no stereo…nothing. I marveled at the fact that this tiny two-room apartment was able to contain my larger-than-life Sookie.

I walked over to the bookshelf, partly to kill some time while I waited for her, and partly to, well, snoop. There was still so much I needed to learn about her, and you can always glean a great deal of information about a person by the books they read. All the classics were there, of course. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Bronte, Vonnegut…she even had a bit of Shakespeare. _My Sookie is a smart cookie_, I thought, and chuckled softly to myself.

Three of the shelves contained large textbooks and reference manuals, and sadly, lots of books pertaining to child abuse. Her capacity for compassion had to be immense to see and deal with things like that on a daily basis. I reminded myself to ask her about this later.

I worked my way down to the bottom shelf, and hit the mother load.

_Gotcha! _

Sookie apparently had a thing for trashy romance novels. For the life of me, I never understood what women got out of those things. I thumbed through page after page of "throbbing members" and "heaving bosoms" and I couldn't help but laugh aloud.

She heard me, and yelled, "What's so funny out there, mister?" through the door.

"Oh, nothing," I replied, trying to stifle my laughter so she wouldn't come out and catch me rifling through her possessions. I grabbed a few of the cheesier looking titles and shoved them in to my bag. I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but at the very least, I could tease her about them over the following week.

The door to the bathroom opened, and I suddenly found myself needing to take a few deep breaths to steady myself. The sight of her literally made me weak. She was wearing a plain white tank top and a long, flowing orange skirt. She had strands of multicolored glass beads around her neck and wrists, and she was exactly what I would have envisioned Mother Earth looking like if Mother Earth had ever been a sexy young woman.

She had pulled her hair up in to a messy, yet incredibly alluring pile on top of her head, and it made her long, tanned neck look especially inviting. I walked over to her, pulled her in to me, and kissed my way gently down the curve of her beautiful throat.

A little shiver escaped from her body, but she playfully pushed me away and snapped me back in to reality. "Eric, if you don't stop that right now, I won't be able to pack. And if I can't pack, we won't make it to the center. And if we don't make it to the center, then we won't be able to go to Bon Temps, and I really, really want to go with you today."

_Well, there's no arguing with that logic_, I thought.

"Right. You're right. We should get going. Can I help you pack?" I asked.

"No thanks," she said. "Have a seat. I'll be ready soon. I keep clothes and things at the house in Bon Temps, so I just need to gather a few necessities."

I kissed her gently on her forehead and went to sit down in the chair by the window. I watched as she pulled an old duffel bag out of her closet and stuff a few items in it. I concentrated on memorizing her features as she packed. _As if I'd ever forget_, I thought with a laugh.

I committed every line, every curve to memory, knowing that there would be days we would have to be apart. The real world has a terrible habit of making you do things you don't always want to. I would need those images burned in to my brain to deal with those times I wouldn't be able to see her.

"Northman, you're doing it again," she said with a smile.

"You know what?" I asked as I rose from the chair and crossed the tiny room to her. "I enjoy staring at you, so if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd just get over it already." I pulled her to me, grabbed her hand, and then spun her in to a low dip. She was shaking with laughter, and when I pulled her up, I placed a light kiss on her throat.

"Well, since you put it so nicely, I guess I'll just have to learn to deal with it." She gave me her perfect Sookie giggle, then, and asked, "Ready? I'm all packed."

We were in the cab on the way to the center when I decided to ask her one of the questions I remembered I'd had from the evening before.

"Sookie, why did you look at me so oddly last night when I asked Octavia to smile for me?"

She was thoughtful for a moment, considering her words carefully. "A long time ago, before she married Charlie and moved to New Orleans, Octavia was married to a man named Rene. He used to beat her, and one night, he hit her so hard that he broke several of her teeth. She's had them fixed, obviously, but she's always been a bit gun-shy about people taking pictures of her smile. There are still scars there, even if you can't see them. But when you told her she was beautiful, and I saw the proud look on her face, well…well, I can't tell you how much that meant to her. _How much it meant to me._ That's why I had such a good feeling about you. You had no idea what she'd been through, yet you went out of your way to make her feel good about herself anyway."

You could have thrown a brick at my head and I wouldn't have been as shocked by it as I was by what Sookie had related to me. I certainly hadn't expected that explanation. I felt horrible for Octavia, and I made a mental note to be extra sweet to her that day.

"What happened to Rene?" I asked, toying with a lock of her hair.

"No one's really sure," she replied. "He just up and disappeared one day. Rene was a lot of things, but he wasn't a runner. I've always suspected there was a little bit of red-neck justice involved, but it's never been confirmed."

She gave me a very serious look, then. Her words made chills run down my spine, and I knew she could tell.

"I'm just kidding, silly. He went to prison, and as far as I know, he's still there. You have nothing to worry about in Bon Temps."

I was glad to hear that, but I made another mental note not to ever piss Sookie off. The last thing I wanted was to have a gang of red-necks chasing after me.

The cab stopped, and after paying the driver and retrieving our bags, I got my first look at Adele's House. It was an impressive building, to say the least. The entire front facade was made of glass. With the exception of an Adele's House sign, every available inch was adorned with what was obviously children's colorful artwork. I looked at Sookie, then, and could see the pride in her eyes. I'd only known her for less than twenty-four hours, and even I was proud of her. I couldn't fathom how much sweat, time and energy went in to creating what I was staring at.

"Shall we go in?" she asked.

"Lead the way."

We went in through the glass door and walked up to what appeared to be a large reception desk. Octavia was already there. She got up from her chair and came around the desk to give us both a hug.

"You two have a good time last night?" she asked.

"We had a wonderful night, Octavia. Thank you for letting me borrow her for a little while," I answered, kissing her on the cheek to show my gratitude.

"Hey, Octavia. Can I talk to you in the office for a minute?" Sookie asked.

"Sure darlin'. Let's head back there now. I've got a few things to go over with you before we get started for the day."

"Eric, will you be alright on your own?"

"Of course. Take care of business. I'll take a peek around and start scouting some good shots."

"I'll be back in a few. Have fun." She reached up for a kiss, and I was more than happy to give it to her.

As I wandered between the art, counseling and play rooms, taking some random shots, I suddenly felt as if I was being watched. Occasionally, from the corner of my eye, I'd catch a hint of short blonde hair, but whoever he was, he was too fast for me. I knew it was a kid, a little boy, but I didn't want to scare him by chasing after him. After all, I remembered where I was. The kids here probably didn't look upon being chased after by an adult as something fun. I would have to wait and let him come to me.

I walked over to the courtyard in the center of the building and through a glass door. It was beautifully landscaped, and had a small tree growing in the center. The symbolism wasn't lost on me. If a tree could grow in the middle of a building in lower Manhattan, even after so much devastation, then so could these children. I smiled then, thinking once again of Sookie's cleverness.

When I turned around to go back inside, a boy, maybe six years old, was standing in the doorway. He had blonde hair, almost the same color as mine and Sookie's, and large, knowing blue eyes. I bent down to his level, thinking it would seem less scary to him.

"Are you Miss Sookie's boyfriend?" he asked, with a dead-serious look on his face. If he was a grown man, I'd have taken it as posturing, showing me how protective he was of what he considered his.

I stifled a laugh. "Well, I don't know yet, but I certainly hope to be. Would that be okay with you?"

He seemed to chew on that for a while, and then, with the typical attention span of an adolescent, quickly changed the subject. "What are you doing?"

"Miss Sookie" – _I can't believe I'm calling her that_ - "asked me to take some pictures of the center. I could certainly use some help, though. Would you show me around?"

He grinned from ear to ear, then, and said "Sure," before taking my large hand in his little one and pulling me along after him.

"You know, I usually like to know my assistant's name before we start working together," I teased.

"My name's Jacob, but I don't like to be called that."

"What do you like to be called?"

"Just Jake," he grumbled, dragging me along behind him.

"Well, Just Jake, my name's Eric. I'm very pleased to meet you."

He snorted out a giggle, then, and said, "You're silly."

_So I've been told, kid. So I've been told._

Since I was armed with an official guide, I'd gotten the grand tour. I was blown away by this place, and honestly, by Jake, too. He showed me his "cubby," which he informed me was off limits to everyone, "and girls." Apparently, he hadn't yet reached the age where girls were considered human.

_That's alright little man, take your time_, I thought.

I was giving Jake a ride on my shoulders, when I heard Sookie call out to us.

"Hiya, Jake," she beamed. "Did you make a new friend?"

When we got closer to her, I caught her wiping a stray tear from her eye. I gave her a questioning glance, concerned that something bad had happened in the fifteen minutes I'd been apart from her, but she smiled and mouthed "_I'm okay," _so I had no choice but to take her at her word. I would ask her about it later, though.

"Yes, Miss Sookie. I'm his assistant. He let me take some pictures of him, and he took a bunch of me, too. Right Eric?"

"That's right, Miss Sookie, he is," I chuckled, sending a wink his way. "Best assistant I've ever had."

"Well, thanks a lot, Eric," I heard from behind me. "And here I thought I was your favorite."

I turned, Jake still on my shoulders, and saw Pam standing by the front door with her hands on her hips and a look of utter confusion on her face. "Once again, I will ask you, who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"Oh, Pam, stop being so dramatic," I said, brushing her off. I lifted Jake off my shoulders and placed his little feet firmly on the ground. "Jake, Sookie, this is my sister, Pam. Pam, this is Jake and Sookie."

Pam walked up to Jake and shook his hand, saying, "Nice to meet ya, Jake," and then turned her full attention to Sookie.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…_

She regarded Sookie carefully for a moment, and then shocked the hell out of me. "Sookie, dear, I have no idea who in the world you are, but if you can make my – Jake, earmuffs, please," to which he faithfully complied, "grumpy ass brother smile like that, you're alright in my book." And then she did the damnedest thing. She hugged her.

Sookie was near hysterics, bent over and laughing. "It's very nice to meet you, too, Pam."

Pam stepped back from Sookie, then, and lowered herself to look Jake in the eyes. She made a series of movements that indicated he could remove his "earmuffs," and then stood back up and said, "Let's get this show on the road. I've got a Russian waiting for me back at my place."

I was stunned. I'd never seen Pam interact with a child like that. It was almost…charming. She caught the look on my face, and she must have read my mind.

"What, I may look and act like a big bad lesbian, but that doesn't mean I don't have a biological clock. I do have ovaries, you know."

"What's a lepspian," Jake asked.

"It means I like girls, Jake," she deadpanned. I groaned and rolled my eyes. Leave it to Pam to tell the truth to a six year old.

"I'm never going to be a lepspian, then," Jake stated firmly.

We all snorted in unison before Sookie turned to Jake and said, "Hey Jake, us grown ups have some stuff to do. Why don't you go and play with the rest of the kids?"

He looked up at me, and asked, "Is that ok, Eric?" Both Sookie and Pam's mouths flew open, shock showing on their faces.

"Of course it is, little man," I replied. "You did a good job today. Thank you for all your help. Go have some fun." And then I gave his hair a good ruffling.

He was about to turn around and leave, but then stopped and beckoned me close. With a stage whisper he said, "Its okay with me if you're Miss Sookie's boyfriend," then ran off to play. Sookie's shocked expression was priceless.

I puffed my chest out a little bit, proud that I had his approval. Twelve hours ago, I didn't know any six year olds, let alone hope one actually liked me. Now, well, I was wrapped around his little finger. I would ask Sookie about him later. A part of me didn't want to, but I couldn't help myself. He was obviously very important to her, and she to him as well.

"So, Sookie, tell me what I'm doing here at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning," Pam asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"The truth is," she began with a sigh, "We need more money. I'm putting together a presentation that will be sent to private donors all over New York, and I want it to be more than your standard 'please give me your money' shtick. I want the person looking at it to be moved to the point of action."

"Well, if anyone can do that, it's Eric," Pam stated bluntly.

"Oh, I know. I have all the faith in the world in him, Pam," Sookie said. Pam cocked an eyebrow at me, but didn't speak, and I was grateful for it. I still hadn't figured out how to explain everything that had transpired to her.

The next hour was spent setting up the lighting equipment, and when Pam and I were ready, I called Sookie over. "I think the best way to do this is to let it happen naturally. Just go about your day, and pretend that we aren't even here."

Reaching up to give me a quick kiss, she said, "That's going to be very hard to do, but I'll try."

When she had made it across the room to where a small group of children were sitting, Pam finally burst.

"Spill," she demanded. And, as with Sam the night before, I did. She listened intently as we walked around the center. She would move the equipment and I would shoot. She let me talk, and didn't once interrupt. When I caught her up to the present, instead of peppering me with questions, she simply looked at me and said, "I think we're almost done here," and gave me a smile.

We both knew we were getting good stuff. Seeing Sookie happy was all the inspiration I'd ever need, and it was apparent by the quality of work I was doing.

Capturing the eyes of the children were what mattered most to me. I knew if the potential donors looked them in the eyes and saw them as I did, there would be no way they could refuse them anything. Even with the traces of sadness that ran through all of them, they were beautiful. They were strong…survivors. It was palpable. You could feel their strength course through you, and you couldn't help but love every single one of them. Even Pam was affected. What's more, it was Sookie that created this setting for them to heal in, to learn in, to finally experience joy and stability after countless heart breaks.

We were nearly done when we walked over to the small reading circle that had formed in front of Sookie. Jake was sitting on her lap, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her hair that had fallen over his shoulder. I set up the tripod and clicked off a bunch of shots in rapid succession. She was reading Shel Silverstein's _The Giving Tree _aloud to them, and in that very moment, I fell even more head-over-heels in love with her. Seeing Jake on her lap, with features so similar to mine and Sookie's, pushed me over the edge. I could envision a future with her, one that included children of our own. As impossible as it seemed, I knew that one could, in fact, fall in love in twelve hours or less. I was living proof.

"She's amazing," Pam whispered. "Don't you dare fuck this up, or I'll strangle you with my bare hands."

"Thanks, Pam," I replied. "I have no intention of doing any such thing."

When Sookie had finished the story, she looked up at me and Pam with a large grin plastered on her face. She gave us a questioning look and a tentative thumbs up, wondering if we'd gotten the shots we'd needed. We both gave her two thumbs back in unison. She kissed Jake on the top of the head, stood him up, and knelt before him. I was pretty sure she was telling him about being gone for a week, because I could see the momentary panic on his face, but then she pointed to me, and he nodded his head and smiled. She gave him one last kiss, and then he ran over to me and threw his little body around my leg.

"Miss Sookie said that you were taking her away, but you'd bring her back. You're bringing her back, right?"

I picked him up and gave him a quick hug. "Of course I am, buddy. Don't worry, okay?" A tiny sniffle escaped, but he was a tough little guy. I knew he'd be fine in Octavia's capable hands.

Sookie walked over, then, grabbing Jake around the waist and setting him on the ground. "Okay, Jake, off you go!" She ordered with a smile.

"Bye Miss Sookie! Bye Eric! Bye Lepspian!" he shouted, running towards a small group of children playing board games.

"God, I love that kid," Pam mused, and we all broke out in to fits of laughter again.

"So, Eric, I talked to Octavia, and she's totally cool with me being gone for the week. If you're all done here, we can leave."

"That's great news," I replied, and pulled her to me so I could kiss her forehead.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Pam exclaimed, running over to a bag by the front door. When she returned, she handed some papers over to me, and I could see they were the reservations she'd made for the flight and the rental car.

"Normally, I would tell you that you owed me big time for having to pull this together at the very last minute, but it was such a lovely day, I'm finding it nearly impossible to be a bitch," Pam grinned.

Sookie walked over to Pam, wrapped her arms around her shoulders and gave her a big hug. My sister, who was never, ever, at a loss for words, suddenly found herself silent. She just looked at me over Sookie's shoulder and winked. "Thank you for setting all of this up, Pam. You're amazing. When I get back, I'm going to see about stealing you away from Eric so you can work here with me."

Pam released her, then, laughing and said, "It'll never happen. I enjoy cursing too much, and we can't have these kids walking around with earmuffs on all day, can we?"

When the gear was packed, we said our goodbyes to Pam and Octavia. I carried our bags outside and placed them in the back seat of my car. I turned to find Sookie at the passenger side door with a devilish grin spread across her face. In an instant she pulled her skirt up to just above her knees and tucked the hem in to the waistband. She placed her left hand on the side of the car, and with a movement faster than I could see, she'd swung her entire body over the door and in to the front seat.

"Holy shit, Sookie! Did you just pull a 'Dukes of Hazzard' on me?" I gaped, still amazed at what I'd witnessed.

"You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl," she said with a wink and a smile.

_Oh, this was going to be a good week, indeed… _


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"You've got to be kidding me," Sookie said as we pulled up to the chartered airplane hangar. "We're flying to Shreveport in this?" She motioned to the private plane that was currently waiting for our arrival.

"There's still time to reserve a couple of coach seats on a commercial airline if that would make you happier," I teased.

"NO! No. Please don't do that. My butt always falls asleep in those seats. This works for me," she laughed happily.

I parked my car close to the hangar, cut the engine and turned to face her. I took her face in my hands and asked, "Sookie, are you one hundred percent sure you want to do this?"

"Trying to get rid of me so soon?" she quipped.

"Absolutely not. I just want be certain you're sure."

She slid as close to me on the seat as she possibly could and said, "Eric, I am one hundred and fifty percent sure." Just to hammer the point home, she kissed me gently on the lips between each word. _Okay, so she's sure…_I did an internal happy dance, and kissed her right back.

We got out of the car a few minutes later and walked up to the rolling staircase that led the door of our plane. "Good evening, Mr. Northman, Ms. Stackhouse. I'm John. I'll be your pilot today. We'll be ready to go in a few minutes. Shall I take your luggage?"

I thanked him and gestured for John to take Sookie's bag, while I carried mine. There was an audible gasp when Sookie reached the top of the staircase. "Eric, this is unbelievable. It must have cost you a small fortune!" she exclaimed.

"It was worth every penny just to see that smile on your face," I replied honestly.

"Are you trying to bribe your way in to my affections, Eric?"

"I'm not above buying your love if the situation called for it," I said.

She gave me a playful punch in the shoulder. "Well, it's not for sale, buster. You're just gonna have to earn it the old-fashioned way."

"How am I doing so far?" I asked.

"Pretty darn well, actually," she replied, and pulled me in to the first of many amazing kisses on the way to Shreveport.

When we were in the air and the pilot told us we were free to move about, Sookie unbuckled her seat belt, walked over to me and sat on my lap. _Well, that was unexpected…_

"Sookie, would you tell me about Jacob?" I asked. I had been thinking of him ever since we left the center.

"Oh, Eric, are you sure you want to hear this story? Outside of how well he's doing now, none of it is pleasant."

"Please tell me, Sookie. I don't know why, but I need to know everything."

She snuggled in close to me, and exhaled slowly. "I met Jake when he was four," she began. "Right after he had been brought in to the emergency room. The hospital called Social Services, and since I was on call, I was the one to go. He had been beaten so badly…he was barely alive by the time I got there."

I could tell she was having a hard time reliving it, but I needed to hear the whole story, so I urged her to continue. "Who was responsible for it?" I asked.

"His father. He was a drug addict. Meth-head. Apparently, Jake was crying, and that didn't sit well with him. He beat the shit out of him to keep him quiet. It wasn't a one-time thing, either. My friend Amelia works at the hospital and said that when they examined Jacob, they found evidence that his ribs had been broken before, and that he had healed-over scars over a good portion of his body."

"Where was the mother?" I asked, furious at someone – anyone - for allowing anything like that to happen to Jake.

"Jail. She was an addict, too. She's dead now. OD'd last year."

"So, who has Jacob right now?" I'd read about the deplorable state of the foster care system in New York, and I hoped he was with a good family.

"He's been in a foster home for two years, but they haven't been able to find him a suitable family yet. Everyone wants the infants. The older kids, even the six year olds, often get the short end of the stick."

"What will happen to him if no one adopts him?" I asked.

"That's the worst part. He'll get moved around in the system until he's eighteen, and then 'poof'," she said, making an explosion symbol with her hands to emphasize her point. "He'll be considered an adult and on his own. It's so unfair. He didn't ask for this, and he certainly deserves better."

"But you said he's better now, right?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Yes," she said. "You're the first male stranger I've ever seen him warm up to."

"Is that why I saw you crying earlier?"

"Of course that's why I was crying. You would be too if you were me. That was a very big step forward for him," she replied. "Hey, Eric?"

"Yes?"

"Can we please stop talking about this now? It makes me miss him, and it makes me sad, and all I really want to do is relax and not think about these things…at least, not for the next week, anyways. It's selfish, I know, but it's been a long time since I've been able to take any time for myself."

"Of course we can stop talking about it," I replied. "And it's not selfish. Seems to me, you take care of everyone else with very little thought about yourself. We can talk about anything you want to talk about, or we can talk about nothing at all."

"We've got a lot of time to kill before we reach Shreveport," she pointed out. "If we don't talk, what are we going to do?"

"Wanna make out?" I asked with a cocked eyebrow and a grin, partly joking, but mostly not.

"Works for me," she replied with a shrug and a smile, and that's exactly what we did for the next three hours.

* * *

"_Mr. Northman, Ms. Stackhouse, this is your pilot speaking. We'll be landing in Shreveport in about twenty minutes. Please take your seats, and make sure your seat belts are fastened. I'll see you on the ground."_

John. I had forgotten about him. I had also forgotten that we were on an airplane, heading towards Louisiana. My focus had been solely on Sookie for the past three hours, and truth be told, she could make a man forget his name with a simple kiss.

We were laid out on the floor in front of our chairs, our limbs a tangled mess. Her lips were red and puffy, a sure sign of a good make out session, and her breathing was as erratic as mine. I felt the rumble of laughter rise in my chest before smiling down at her and asking, "Was it good for you, too?"

She gave me her signature Sookie giggle, and asked, "Can you give me a minute or two to think about it? I need to run through my brain and try to compare it to all my other dry-humping sessions on a private jet before I can give you an honest answer."

I leaned in for one last kiss, my whole body shaking with laughter, before standing and pulling her to her feet in front of me. I once again found myself silently agreeing with Sam. _I am the luckiest S.O.B. alive_, I thought.

The landing was smooth, and after saying goodbye to John and gathering our luggage, we made our way to the hangar where the rental car was supposed to be waiting for us. A woman walked out of the hanger, then, and said, "Welcome, Mr. Northman, Ms. Stackhouse. I have the keys to your vehicle. Would you follow me, please?"

She walked us over to a small parking area at the back of the hanger and stopped in front of a giant, shiny black pickup truck. She handed a set of keys to me, and noticing the look of confusion on my face, handed me a small slip of paper as well.

"_When in Rome…Love, Pam,"_ was all it said.

I burst out laughing, and Sookie looked at me with an amused, yet curious expression on her face. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"This is my sister's idea of a joke," I replied. "And actually, it's pretty damned funny."

"Will that be all, Mr. Northman?" the woman asked.

"Yes, thank you. We'll see you next week."

Sookie and I loaded our bags in to the back of the truck, got in and pulled out on to the access road that leads out of the airport. When we had made it out on to the expressway, I looked at the clock on the dashboard, surprised at the late hour.

"Sookie, it's pretty late. Are you hungry? We can stop for some dinner before going to your house."

"Let's just hit up the grocery store for some provisions and head to the house. I can make us something. Besides, we'll be going out to eat tomorrow, and you'll want to leave plenty of room in your stomach for that." She gave me a wicked grin then, and I instantly knew she was up to something.

"Oh, really?" I asked. "And why is that?"

"You have your little secrets, Mr. Private Jet, and I have mine. You'll just have to wait and see."

I took her left hand in mine, kissed it, and thanked my lucky stars for the billionth time in twenty-four hours that this woman agreed to go out with me.

We stopped at a store in Shreveport, because apparently, nothing in Bon Temps was open that late, and bought the small bit of groceries we would need to get through the rest of the night and following morning. We had plenty of time to get anything else we needed for the rest of the week later.

Once back on the highway, we made good time to Bon Temps. I hated to admit it, but I was beginning to enjoy driving the truck. Sure, it was a bit slower than my 'Vette, but it was still fast, and I liked how far up above the road we were sitting. I pictured being stuck in rush hour traffic in Manhattan in the truck, and then putting it in four-wheel drive and climbing over the top of all the cars in my way. A big grin spread across my face. Sookie noticed and smiled.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I was envisioning all the damage I could do with this truck in New York."

She laughed, and then said, "Oh! Get off at this exit coming up."

We pulled off the highway, the narrow exit thick with trees on each side, and came up to a stop sign.

"Welcome to Bon Temps!" she said.

"We're here?" I asked, surprised. There was nothing around us, and it was pitch black.

"Yep. Turn right here."

We drove down the two-lane road for a while, and then came upon what looked to be the main drag. There were a few lights on, but all the businesses, with the exception of a bar, were closed.

"Main Street?" I asked.

"How'd you know?" she answered.

"I was kidding, Sookie. It's really called Main Street?"

"Don't look so shocked. I told you Bon Temps was small. Turn left at the next stop sign."

After I'd turned, we drove about a mile, and then passed a small cemetery. She had me turn left again on to Hummingbird Lane, and after a short ride up a gravel drive, we were in front of the original Adele's House.

I cut the engine, turned to her and said, "Sookie, it's amazing."

"I know," she sighed. I could see her shoulders relax, then, all of the New York City tension releasing from them. "C'mon. Let me show you around."

We grabbed our bags and walked up the stairs toward the front door. We were standing on the porch, which wrapped all the way around the house. A two-seater swing hung to the right of the door. I pictured Sookie stretched out on the swing, asleep with a book on her lap, and smiled to myself.

Sookie fished the keys out of her bag and unlocked the door. She flipped on the lights and I immediately felt as if I'd been thrown back in to another time and place. Everything about this house screamed 'comfort.' I knew instantly why she had called it her place of refuge.

We dropped our bags in the foyer, and she led me to the kitchen. I placed the grocery bags on the counter, and we began to unpack them, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the moment. When that was done, she directed me to the table and gestured for me to sit.

"How do you feel about grilled cheese sandwiches?" she asked.

"Can't live without 'em," I replied.

"Excellent answer, Mr. Northman," she grinned, and gave me a quick kiss before pulling out a pan and starting our dinner.

I loved watching her work in this kitchen. It suited her completely. We made some small-talk while she cooked, and when dinner was ready, she placed our plates on the table and sat down next to me.

We ate quietly, exchanging smiles now and again, and a sense of ease washed over me. When we were done, I told her I'd wash the dishes, allowing her the time to unpack and reacquaint herself with the house. She hugged me, and I heard her footsteps going down the hall beyond the kitchen. While I washed, I stared out the window to the field beyond it. I could see the stars in the sky, and the moon shining brightly above them. _This is good_, I thought. _I don't need anything else but this, here, now…_

I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear her come up behind me. She hugged her arms around my waist and pressed her warm face in to my back. "Thank you for bringing me here, Eric. I'm so happy," she sighed.

I finished drying the last dish, set it in the rack and turned to face her. "I'm the one who should thank you." I placed my arms around hers and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I can't remember the last time I was this…content."

"Are you ready for bed?" she asked. "It's been a long day, and I'm exhausted."

I reached down, placed my arm under her knees and lifted her up in to my chest. She rested her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Show me the way, Sookie."

We walked down the hall and into the bedroom. I set her on her feet, and she went over to the dresser and pulled a nightgown out of one of the drawers. She came over to me, stood on the tops of her toes and kissed me softly. "I'll be right back," she promised, and then went in to the adjoining bathroom.

I removed my jeans and shirt, hung them over the old wrought-iron frame of the bed, then pulled back the quilt and settled in. The mattress was comfortable and soft, seemingly like everything else in the house.

The bathroom door opened, and Sookie stood in the doorway a moment, looking at me. She was wearing a simple cotton nightgown that fell just above her knees. Tiny straps wrapped over her shoulders, and her hair was loosely spilling over them. She was glowing in the golden light of the lamp on the bedside table. "You're so beautiful, Sookie." I murmured. I was having a hard time breathing, so much so, in fact, that my words were barely a whisper.

She walked over to me, then, and climbed in, curling her body in to mine. "You look very good in my bed, Eric," she said.

I kissed her softly, and said, "Good night, Sookie."

We drifted off in each others arms, and on that night, in that tiny town, in that wonderful old farm house, I slept the most peaceful sleep I'd ever know.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

I woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee. I was a little sad to see that Sookie wasn't still asleep next to me, but I was hungry, so I dragged my butt out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and running a comb through my sleep-mussed hair, I walked out of the bathroom in nothing but my boxer shorts. If she could show up in my kitchen wearing only a towel, I could certainly walk in to hers in my underwear.

I exited the bedroom and walked down the hallway, pausing from time to time to look at the photographs mounted on the floral-papered walls. I stopped in front of a particularly beautiful black and white image of what I could only assume was Sookie as a little girl. She must have been no older than Jacob when it was taken, and she was glorious. She looked like an angel in her little sun dress. A wreath of flowers wound around her tiny head like a halo, and she was sitting atop a picnic table smiling up at the person taking the picture. I found myself wishing that I had known her like this and smiled to myself.

I went to the foyer and grabbed my camera. We were going to make our own memories in this house, and I wanted to be ready to capture them as they happened. I quietly made my way to the entrance of the kitchen and stood in the doorway, watching Sookie as she expertly flipped an omelet in a large skillet. She was still in her nightgown, and she was breathtaking. I took several shots of her, and then went to the table and set my camera down. I walked up behind her, placed my hands on her hips and softly kissed the back of her neck.

"Smells great," I whispered.

"Me or the food?" she teased, turning to place a kiss on my lips.

"Both."

"Coffee's ready. Help yourself to a cup. I promise I won't steal yours today."

I laughed and walked across the kitchen towards the delicious smell. "Wow, you have a percolator? I haven't seen one of these in years." I poured myself a cup, and grabbed a chair at the table. I took a sip, marveling at the taste. "What's in the coffee?" I asked.

"Chicory. The preferred blend of the State of Louisiana." She let out one of her trademark giggles, and brought the skillet over to where she had laid out some plates on the counter.

She loaded up our dishes with eggs, bacon and some strange potato concoction, and brought them over to the table. "Eat up," she ordered. "This is the last thing we'll be having until dinner." The devious grin from the previous night found its way back to her face, and I found myself wondering what she was up to.

"Don't look at me that way, mister," she grumbled. "You'll just have to wait and see. Now eat. Nothing is more disgusting than cold eggs."

I took a bite, then another, and then put my fork down against the plate. I closed my eyes and exhaled.

"What, is something wrong? You don't like it?" she asked with more than a little concern in her eyes.

I smiled, seeing in her face the only bit of insecurity she'd ever shown in the past few days, and replied, "No, Sookie. It's great. I was just thinking that if you keep feeding me this way, I might get fat. It's almost too good."

A look of relief washed over her face, and I could tell she was pleased with the compliment. "You're such a girl, Eric."

"So," I said, rolling my eyes and changing the subject, "What's on the agenda for today?"

"First, I was thinking we should go in to town and pick up some provisions. After that, I thought we could go for a swim. It's already hotter than hell's waiting room outside, and it's still pretty early. Did you bring some trunks?"

"I didn't know I'd be needing them. No worries, though. My boxers work just fine."

"You can say that again," she teased.

"Oh really? So you've checked them out, have you?" I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

"Just the back side. Nice view, by the way."

_Why are my cheeks hot? Did I just…no…_

"Why, Eric Northman, I do believe you're blushing."

"Impossible," I muttered. "Men do not blush."

She got up from her chair and walked over to me, running a hand across my shoulder. I pushed my chair back from the table as she moved in front of me, straddling my legs with hers. _Oh, sweet Christ, what is this woman doing to me now?_ I thought. Before I knew what I was doing, I had my hands on her hips, pulling her up on my lap.

Her legs wrapped around the back of the chair, and she leaned in close, her warm breath on my ear. "Are you sure about that statement, Mr. Northman?" she whispered.

I cupped her face between my hands, looking into her wide blue eyes, and said, "Sookie, the only thing I'm sure of is that if you don't stop what you're doing right now, I won't be able to stop myself." I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff, and all it would take to push me over was a single word uttered from her lips. I needed this woman...needed her in a way that defied explanation, but this physical tension between us was too fragile, and I refused to be the one to break it. It had to be her. It could only be her.

"Who said anything about stopping, Eric?"

I realized then that she wasn't asking a question…she was granting me permission. This beautiful woman was offering herself to me, and I couldn't – no, wouldn't – tell her no. I placed my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to me. I kissed her hungrily, hoping against hope that she wouldn't change her mind, leaving me wanting and heartsick.

"Sookie," I whispered through our open mouths, "I need you to be sure. You have to tell me, Sookie…"

"Bedroom," was her breathy reply. She released her legs from the back of the chair and I placed my hands beneath her to lift her from my lap. She tightened her legs around my waist as I picked her up and carried her down the hall to the bedroom. Her hands were wrapped in to my hair, and her kisses were frantic.

We tumbled together on the bed, our hands and arms furiously tearing away clothing, reaching for one other. When I'd removed her nightgown and panties, I looked down at her and felt a lump rise in my throat.

"You're perfect," I murmured, gasping for breath. She was so beautiful, and I once again silently thanked every god I could think of that she was with me…that she wanted me. She looked at me, then, and I saw all that I ever needed to know.

_This is good…this is right… _

Her eyes bore in to mine, and any hesitation I may have felt about moving too fast flowed out of me.

When she crushed her lips against mine, I felt an explosion of lust course through me. I needed to feel her, to taste her, to savor every inch her. I ran my lips and tongue over her neck, down to her chest, stopping to take each soft, full breast in my mouth, loving them, _worshipping_ them.

She wrapped her legs around my hips, arched her back, and let a loud moan escape from her lips in response to my touch. I felt her fingers trace a line down my back to the edge of my boxers, then push them down urgently, silently telling me that her need was as great as mine.

All barriers between us were gone. The rest of the world melted away, and we were the only two people on the face of earth. I looked up to her exquisite face, needing to memorize the image of her in that perfect moment. Her eyes were closed, and I wanted more than anything to look in to them.

I rose above her, resting on my elbows, and pleaded, "Look at me, Sookie. Please, baby, I need you to look at me."

She opened her eyes and looked in to mine, and that was all the inspiration I needed. I entered her gently, whispering her name over and over, like my own private prayer.

With our bodies wrapped into one another, the frenetic pace from earlier was now replaced by quiet and patient lovemaking. We took our time, exploring, touching, silently communicating our desires, our needs. I felt the remnants of all the sadness in my life drift out of me as I slowly rocked in and out of her, and found joy and love filling up the void it left behind. She was my home, my everything, and I wanted nothing more than to stay like this with her forever.

I buried my face in her hair and whispered, "I love you, Sookie. It's crazy and I'm scared to death, but damn it, I do. I love you."

A small sob escaped from her, and I looked up to see a tear fall down her cheek. I don't know what I had expected to see, but there was no trace of sadness or fear in her eyes.

"I knew it was you," she cried. "I knew it the minute I saw you."

"What Sookie?" I asked. "What did you know?"

"I knew you'd be the love of my life."

I kissed her fiercely as her admission seared through my entire body, and our pace quickened with our desire to fill each other, to make each other whole. My heart was pounding, and I could feel her body tightening around mine. I cried out her name and we fell over the edge together, our ragged breaths whispering the words we'd both waited a lifetime to hear.

I have no idea how long we laid tangled up in each others arms. It could have been hours, days…it didn't matter. This woman was mine, body and soul, and I was hers. Nothing else mattered as long as we were together.

When I rolled over to kiss her once more, Sookie began to giggle. "What's so funny?" I asked, placing feathered kisses down her nose.

"Looks like I'm going to have to make you some lunch after all. You never got to finish your breakfast."

"Sookie, if this is the way every meal with you is going to end up, I'll be more than happy to let you cook for me any time you want to."

She rolled over and gave me a playful punch in the arm. "So I guess it's true when they say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?"

"Abso-goddamned-lutely."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

I didn't know what other couples did after a staggering round of lovemaking and professing their love for one another for the first time, but apparently, if your names are Eric and Sookie, you went to the Piggly Wiggly. After all, our breakfast did get cold.

Sookie wanted to get enough food to stock us up for the rest of the week, and she said she also felt like baking.

_Yep, I was going to get fat for sure._

"Do you mind grabbing a cart for us, Eric?" Sookie smiled and batted her eyelashes at me. That woman knew she had me wrapped around her little finger. Minx.

I rarely did my own grocery shopping in New York. That was what Pam & Peapod were for, in my opinion. I really wasn't patient enough for it, so I usually dreaded the task.

_I might as well try to make the best of it, though...no reason not to have a little fun._

"Hey Sookie, c'mere a minute," I ordered, pulling a cart out of the stall.

"What, sugar?" she asked, her sweet southern charm oozing out all over the place. We'd been there less than twenty-four hours, and already her drawl was slowly coming back.

With lightning speed, I grabbed her and threw her in to the front of the cart, ass first, turned it around, put one leg on the bottom rail and pushed off with the other. Within seconds, we were flying down the produce aisle.

"Eric Northman, you let me out of here this very second!" she wailed, but only half-heartedly. She was enjoying it though. I could see it in her eyes.

"On one condition," I stated as I brought the cart to a full stop.

"Do you remember what happened the last time you laid out a condition?" she asked.

"Yep, you agreed to go out with me, and look how well that turned out!" I teased, placing my hands on my hips and proudly pushing out my chest.

"You've got a point there. Okay. Lay it on me." She was squirming in the cart now, in what looked like a pretty precarious position. I almost felt a twinge of guilt. _Almost._

"You need to give me a big fat kiss right here in the middle of the Piggly Wiggly."

"Really? That's all? Well hell, Eric, you didn't need to toss me in a shopping cart to pull that one off. All you had to do was ask."

"But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun," I laughed, winking at her.

"Okay, deal. Just get me out of this damned thing."

"Fine, but first…" I grabbed the camera that was strapped around my neck and said, "Say cheese!" before snapping off a couple of shots.

"You are so going to pay for that!" she growled, a large grin spreading across her beautiful face.

"I'm looking forward to it," I said, and leaned in to collect my girl and my kiss from the cart.

One hundred and fifty seven dollars and seven grocery bags later, Sookie and I exited the store. We tossed the bags in the back of my new favorite toy (I was praying that the Vette couldn't feel my love for the truck through our bond) and climbed into the cab. We returned to the farm house, unloaded, and began putting everything away. Actually, I was putting everything away. Sookie was pulling out some bowls and a few pie tins.

"And what is that you're doing, Miss Sookie?" I asked, stopping my duties momentarily to steal a kiss.

"You'll see," was all she said, teasing me with the lilting tone of her voice.

_More surprises, eh? Well, two can play at that game,_ I thought. _Later, though. Not just yet..._

"Why don't you go see about finding us a blanket and some towels why I'm working on this?" she asked. "There should be plenty in the closet down at the end of the hall. We've still got loads of time before we have to head out for the night. I want to go swimming, but I need to finish this first."

"Your wish is my command, madam."

_Oh my god. I cannot believe I just said that. Forty-eight hours and I'm already her bitch._

Oddly enough, I was okay with that.

While Sookie was working on her secret project, I went about gathering the towels and items we'd need for an afternoon in the sun. I found myself hoping she would be quick about it. The sooner she was done, the sooner I would see her in a two-piece.

Twenty minutes later, she came waltzing in to living room in the sexiest damn bathing suit I'd ever seen. It was red and white gingham, with a little white eyelet ruffle running across the bust line and a red ribbon tied in the middle. Her cut-off denim shorts rested just below her hips, and I had to stifle a groan. She was my own personal Daisy Duke come to life. When I closed my eyes, I had visions of hundreds of men staring at her as she passed them by, and me punching every single one of them in the jaw. I hoped the pool wasn't too crowded, or I wouldn't be able to relax at all.

"Ready for that swim?" she asked, walking up to the couch and bending down to give me a gentle kiss. She smelled like coconut suntan lotion, and her lips still had that lemony-sugar taste to them.

"Delicious."

"Huh?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry. Yep, I'm ready."

_Do not pitch a tent at the pool, jackass!_

I grabbed the bag I had stuffed with the blanket, towels and my camera, and followed her out the door. When we got in the truck, I said, "Point me in the right direction, Sookie."

We drove for about five minutes, and then she had me turn down an old dirt road. The trees grew thick on either side of us, and I found myself wondering when I was going to see a parking lot. All of a sudden, we came upon a small clearing and Sookie said, "Were here. Just pull in there."

Confused, I asked, "Where's the pool?"

Sookie snorted, and said, "Oh, Eric, that's just so…New York City of you. Come on, follow me."

We got out of the truck and she led me down a path though a heavy patch of trees. After a few minutes, we came out into another clearing and I saw large creek directly in front of us, surrounded by more trees. She caught the expression on my face when I realized we were totally alone in the middle of nowhere. "Now this is much better than some silly old community pool, don't you think?"

"My thoughts exactly," was all I could get out of my mouth. Admittedly, Eric Jr. was thinking the same thing.

"Why don't you put the bags down over there," she said, pointing to a flat spot about fifty feet from the water's edge. "I'm going to test the water temperature. Come join me when you're ready. If you come down through the trees over here, it's easier to access the water."

I walked over to the place she'd directed me to, and spread the blanket on the ground. I took my shirt off and unpacked the towels and camera. When I was satisfied with the set-up, I turned around and realized that Sookie was gone. I walked towards where I last saw her, and I noticed a familiar pair of denim shorts hanging from a tree. I was making my way past them when I noticed her bikini top draped across a bush. Walking a few feet further, I saw the matching bottoms lying on the ground.

_Yep, hard as a rock now_…

I heard a giggle and a splash, and, well, I did what any other self-respecting man would do...I dropped trou and jumped in after her.

When I finally caught up to her, she was wading in shoulder-deep water, her wet hair falling wildly around her shoulders. I swam up to her and pulled her body to mine, kissing every exposed inch of her tanned skin. When we finally came up for air, I said, "I do believe you're enjoying taunting me, Ms. Stackhouse."

"You bet your fabulous ass I am, Mr. Northman," she said, then grabbed my hand and led me to a large fallen tree trunk that was skimming the waist-deep water. She rested her back against it and curled her finger towards her face, beckoning me to make my way closer.

When our faces were mere millimeters apart, I wrapped my arms around her waist. She raised one of her arms over her head, grabbing the trunk behind her to steady herself and curled the other around my neck. I felt her legs lock around my hips, pulling me closer. My mind was racing as I entered her.

_Sookie…again…Sookie…_

Our slow, sweet lovemaking from earlier was now replaced with a frenzied, almost violent need to feel one another. I crashed my mouth against hers, wordlessly letting her know that she was all I would ever want or need in this world. Her body was my sanctuary…and as I moved inside her, it gave me a sense of comfort and pleasure that nothing else ever could.

The water rippled around us as our pace hastened, and our breaths were almost gasps as we worked our way towards the inevitable crush of intense emotion that only two people this much in love could create.

"I love you, Eric," she moaned, and in that moment, we became completely undone together.

Spent, and shaking, I placed my hands against the trunk of the tree, needing to hold myself up. She clung to my hips, resting her head on my shoulder, breathing heavily. After a moment, I reached for her face, wanting more than anything to look in to her eyes. She lifted her head at my touch and I trembled as she looked at me. She could bring me to my knees with that look, and I would gladly let her, over and over again.

Minutes passed and I felt her shiver. "Are you cold, Sookie?"

"A little," she replied. "Let's go warm up in the sun for a bit. We've still got a plenty of time before we should head back."

I took her hand and led her out of the water. She grabbed our clothing along the path as we walked, and I let out a little laugh. When we got back to the clearing, we dried each other off and then stretched out atop the blanket. We were quiet for a while, and I enjoyed the sense of peace that fell all around us.

After a while, she lifted her head and rested her chin on my chest. "Can I ask you something, Eric?"

"Anything," I replied.

"When we were at your house the other night, after we were in your studio, you said that you hadn't been happy in a long time. Why is that?"

I wasn't expecting that question, that's for sure. But she asked, and there was nothing I would ever keep from her.

"Sookie, before I met you, everything in my life just felt…empty. I've beaten myself up with so much guilt over the years that I was just plain numb."

"Guilt over what?" she asked, concern showing in her eyes.

"So many things, but the most important, I suppose, is not being there when my father died. I was out playing photojournalist, trying to save the world one picture at a time when I should have been home. My mother and Pam had to take care of it alone. I didn't even make it back in time for the funeral. I'll live with that guilt for the rest of my life."

"After that," I continued, "I started working closer to home, but I hated it. I was miserable. And then my mom got sick."

"What happened?" she asked.

"She had ovarian cancer. She responded pretty well to the treatment at first. By then, people had really begun to notice my work, and the jobs I took paid really well. I was glad, too, because my mother's insurance was crap, and the treatments were very expensive. I hated the work I was doing, but it allowed me to afford the best treatment for her that money could buy. In the end, though, mom died, and I hated the fact that all I could do was stand by and watch it happen. Everything I tried to do was for nothing. I felt like a piece of me died with her that day. And in the meantime, I was living a life I never wanted in the first place. I was just…stuck."

Sookie wrapped her arm over my chest and squeezed tightly. "Eric, you couldn't control that any more than I could control the crash that killed my parents. It's life. It's ugly and terrible sometimes, and we lose people we love. But you have to move on. They loved you, and you have to know they'd want you to be happy."

"I know one thing. They would have loved you." I whispered as I kissed her forehead. "Okay, my turn. Why social work? Why did you decide to work with kids?"

Sookie froze. I could feel her entire body tense next to mine. "What, Sookie? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Eric. It's just, well, no one has ever asked me that question, so I don't really have a standard answer prepared. There's no real easy way to say it."

"Sookie, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's okay, really." I was worried, though, and I felt a terrible sinking feeling in my stomach.

"No, I want to tell you. I would have anyways, sooner or later." She paused, then, considering her words carefully.

"When I was little, after my parents had died and Jason and I moved in with Gran, one of my uncles came to stay with us for a while. He said he wanted to help Gran out…"

Her words trailed off, and a wave of nausea hit me. I knew what was coming, then, and she continued.

"It started slow, an odd touch here, a weird look there, but only when my Gran was out of the house. I started clinging to her, and I would sob when she left the house, begging her not to leave me behind."

I was shaking with anger now. Logically, I knew that I didn't even know her when she was going through this, but my emotions were getting the best of me. I felt a combination of fierce protectiveness for Sookie and pure rage at that asshole that had hurt her surging through me.

"She figured something was up after a particularly awful fit I threw one day when she was leaving. She was halfway in to town when she decided to turn around and come back to check on me. She found us, my uncle and me, in my bedroom, and I was glad, too, because I'm certain that was the day he would have taken it even further than he already had."

By then, she was softly crying. I sat up and pulled her across my lap, rocking her slowly and holding on to her for dear life. "Shhh, Sookie," was all I could say.

"I was pretty messed up for a long time after that, but Gran's love was what helped to pull me through. She was strong for me when I needed her to be. So that's why every time I see a child who has gone through what I went through, I'm the one who is strong for them. It's the best way I know to repay my grandmother for what she did for me. I am what I am today because of her."

"I wish I could have known her," I stated.

"I wish you could have met her, too. She would have adored you…and your cute butt." She let out a giggle then, and the sadness of the moment passed as quickly as it came.

"Sookie, that's your grandmother you're talking about!" I made an attempt at appearing shocked, but all that came out was a bellowing laugh.

"Where do you think I learned my appreciation of the male behind from? She was old, but she wasn't blind." My Sookie was back, and beaming at me for all she was worth.

We sat there, holding each other for a while longer. I was so grateful that Sookie trusted me enough with one of the darkest chapters of her life, and I silently swore to myself that I would do everything in my power from that day forward to keep her safe. I couldn't help her back then, but I'd be damned if anyone ever harmed her again.

After a while, I heard her sigh and she said, "I think we should be getting back. I still have plans for you tonight."

'Ah, yes, the big, secret plan. Well, let's get to it, then." I stood up, and then grabbed her hand to pull her off the blanket. "Thank you for telling me Sookie. I know it was hard for you, but it means so much to me that you'd trust me enough to share that with me. I love you. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded and hugged me, then said, "The same goes for you. I want to know everything about you, and I want you to know everything about me. I don't want any secrets between us."

I smiled at her, big and wide at the implications of her words. "Well if that's the case, then you can tell me what we're doing tonight, right?"

"Well, except for that, smartass."

We dressed quickly and before we left, she stopped to pick a Black-Eyed Susan and put it in her hair. "Don't move," I demanded, and snapped a picture of her.

"You're really having fun with this picture-taking thing, aren't you?" she asked.

"Hey, we live in New York. I won't get to see you in that bathing suit very often. Indulge me."

I was, after all, only a man. Who could blame me for wanting to see my beautiful girl in a bikini, right?

_Right?_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

When we got back to the house, Sookie smacked my ass and said, "Why don't you go take a long hot shower? I've got some things to take care of out here, and then I'll climb in when you're done."

I grabbed her wrist as she was walking away toward the kitchen and pulled her to me. "Why don't you skip what you were going to do and join me instead?"

"Another time, sugar," she cooed. "I swear I'll make it up to you. Now get going." She gave me a kiss, patted me on my butt again, and turned me around in the direction of the hallway.

_Did she just "shoo" me? Argh! Denied! _

"Fine," I pouted, "but it's gonna have to be a cold shower, damn it!"

Before I reached the bathroom, I heard Sookie call out me from the kitchen. I turned to look at her, and she said, "Oh, and Eric? Wear something dark, okay? I want you looking good enough to eat tonight." And then she winked at me.

_She just turned me in to man-meat._ _Holy crap. When did I turn in to the girl in this relationship?_

I did as I was told, however, and by the time I got out of the shower, I was more excited than put out. Of course, pretending it was Sookie's hands bathing me instead of my own certainly helped. When I went to the bedroom to get dressed, I grabbed a white T-shirt and jeans, then remembered her instructions. I tossed the white one back in my bag and grabbed a navy blue T-shirt instead. I chuckled to myself, not believing that I was actually allowing this woman to dictate my wardrobe selections.

_I'm such a pussy,_ I thought. _One ass-grab and I was putty in her hands._

When I'd finished getting ready and I was certain I looked "good enough to eat" _(Hey, her words, not mine…), _I wandered into the kitchen. Sookie was bent over the open oven, apparently checking on whatever was inside it. Her perfect backside looked amazing in those damned cut-offs (which, by the way, were giving me a minor heart attack), and before I knew what I was doing, I was standing behind her copping a two-handed feel of my own.

"Enjoy your cold shower, Eric?" she teased, shutting the oven door and turning to kiss me.

"Now, that was just plain cruel. Sookie Stackhouse, I do believe you're trying to get a rise out of me."

"I do believe I already have, unless that's a rolling pin you've got in your pocket."

"Evil temptress."

"Horndog."

"You know me so well already."

_Well, she did. I am a horndog around her._

"So, do you think you can keep yourself out of trouble while I go get cleaned up?" she asked.

"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises."

"What if I gave you a little incentive? If you behave yourself now, I promise I'll make it worth your effort later." She gave me a long, sweet kiss then, as if to assure me of that fact.

"Well, I suppose I can do it. But only because you asked so nicely," I replied.

She took off down the hall, giggling the entire way, and it took every ounce of strength I had not to follow her.

She walked into the living room exactly one hour later, and I'll be damned if she wasn't looking good enough to eat herself. She'd put the cutoffs back on, and she was wearing a ruffled, flowery tube top that showed off her beautiful shoulders. I gave her the head-to-toe once-over and noticed she was wearing - _holy shit on a stick_ - cowboy boots. She was every teenage boy's wet dream come to life…and she was mine. I felt the rolling pin in my pants begin to rise again.

_Seriously, does she need to make this so excruciatingly painful for me?_

"Ready, baby?" she asked. I just nodded, because it seemed my vocal cords had decided to stop working.

We walked through the kitchen, grabbing the two amazing-smelling pies she'd baked on our way to the front door. I arched an eyebrow at her, indication my curiosity regarding their purpose, but she just smiled and said, "You'll see," in that smug-but-oh-so-sexy way of hers.

When we were on the road, I tried again. "C'mon, Sookie. Give me one clue as to what we're doing tonight."

"Oh, alright, you big baby. Ready?"

"Shoot."

"Pinch the tail and suck the head." And then she winked at me.

_Huh? What the fuck? Is she taking me to some crazy-ass Cajun orgy?_

She started laughing when she saw the confusion and, admittedly, the slight bit of panic run across my face. "Well, you asked, Eric."

I didn't have much time to think it over, though, because we only drove for about another mile before she had me turn off onto a long gravel driveway. We made our way up to the large house at the end of it, and parked the truck under a tree. I heard loud zydeco music and voices coming from behind the house. Colorful paper lights were strung along the overhang on the porch, and even more were hanging in the trees.

"Where are we, Sookie?" I asked, wondering what she was dragging me into.

"I suppose I can tell you now. We're at my friend Lafayette's house, and I'm taking you to your very first crawfish boil. I called him from the center Saturday to let him know I was coming into town with you, and he insisted on throwing you a 'Welcome to Bon Temps' party. There's really no saying 'no' to him when he sets his mind to something."

"Sookie," I laughed, "You have absolutely no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that. I don't even wanna tell you all the crazy shit I was thinking you were up to."

She looked at me with mischievous eyes and said. "Well, don't relax too much just yet, mister. My brother's back there." She put the pies in my hands and began to walk to the back of the house, leaving me standing there with my mouth soundlessly hanging open.

_Holy shit...well that certainly shut me the fuck up, didn't it?_

When we reached the back yard, I saw a large black man walking (actually, it was more like sauntering) toward us. I had to open and close my eyes a few times to make sure I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. He was at least the same height as me, but much more muscular. He was wearing a gray fedora (feather and all), a gray silk ascot, a matching vest over his bare chest…and skin-tight red bicycle shorts…with red high top Reeboks. He was wearing eye shadow and false eyelashes, and sparkly pink lip gloss.

"Lafayette!" Sookie squealed as she ran towards him. She jumped in to his arms, giving him a big hug, then slid down to the ground and grabbed one of his hands. She pulled him along, and when he was standing right in front of me, he looked me up and down and said, "Sookie, girl, now that just ain't right and you know it."

"What's not right?" she asked.

"You know better than to bring a fine-lookin' man like this to my house without bringing one for me," he admonished.

_Wait, did he just bat his eyelashes at me?_

"Oh, Lafayette, stop eye-fucking Eric and say hello already!" Sookie wailed.

"Here. I brought pie," I limply said, looking every bit the deer in headlights.

_What the fuck? I brought pie? Smooth, Eric. Impressive!_

Sookie and Lafayette began laughing so hard that they nearly caved in on one another. I just continued to stand there with the pies in my hands, feeling like man-meat for the second time that night.

When they finally settled down, Lafayette grabbed one of the pies from my hands and said, "Why, yes you did, darlin'. Thank you, Eric. That was very thoughtful of you and Sookie. Follow me. I'll show you where to put that down."

I looked at Sookie, who was getting a great deal of enjoyment at my expense at the moment, and mouthed, "I will get you for this."

She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and ran off to say hello to more friends before I could smack her gloriously devious ass for putting me in this position. With no other option, I walked off, following the giant queen in red spandex.

He brought me over to a large table and placed both pies down on it. He looked at me for a brief moment and said, "My, my, my. She told me you were good-lookin', but I don't think she was giving you quite enough credit. Boy, you is _fine_!" He emphasized his point with two snaps in a circle and a head toss.

What does one say to that? "Thank you," hardly seems appropriate.

"You know, you must be somethin' pretty special," he continued. "I've known that crazy girl all her life, and she ain't never brought a man back home with her. I hope you know what a lucky som'bitch you are."

I relaxed a bit then, smiled and said, "Yes, I do, and you're not the first person to tell me so. My best friend and sister think she's an angel. I've already been warned not to fuck it up with her."

"Sounds to me like your sister and your friend are pretty smart people."

"I'd like to think so. So, I'm really the first, huh?"

"You bet your sweet ass you are. But how 'bout you and me get the nasty shit out of the way first so we can get to know each other better and have some fun. Pay attention, 'cuz honey, I'm only gonna say this once. You hurt one hair on that girl's pretty little head, and I'll bitch-slap you from here to Shreveport. I may be soft and pretty on the outside, but I will fuck you up if I have to, and don't think I can't. She's been through enough in her life. We clear?"

Despite my earlier misgivings, I realized in that instant that I was going to like Lafayette very, very much. "Crystal clear, ma'am," I said, grabbing his hand and kissing the back of it.

"Oh, cher," he practically squealed, "You are too, _too_ much. We're gonna be good friends, I can tell."

With our little talk concluded, Lafayette took my arm and walked me over to where Sookie was standing. Giving her my best "I'm so gonna punish you later" evil grin, I swooped her up and planted a big sloppy kiss on her beautiful smiling mouth right in front of all her friends.

"I'm in so much trouble, aren't I?" she giggled in to my ear.

"You have absolutely no idea how much," I replied. "You're very lucky I love you, or you'd be in even deeper shit than you already are."

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and I swung around with Sookie still in my arms. When she saw who it was, she leaped down from my arms and in to his. "Oh, Jason, it's so good to see you!" she squealed happily.

"Good to see you, too, Sookie," he replied, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. He extended his hand to me and said, "Nice to meet ya. I'm Jason, Sookie's brother." I took his hand to shake it, and he locked his on mine like a vise.

_More posturing…great… _

"Quite a grip you got there, Jason. Good to meet you, too. I'm Eric."

I decided to drop the formalities then and there and said, "Jason, I love your sister and I'll never hurt her. But if for some unfathomable reason I ever do, you have my full permission to kick my ass. Now, may I have my hand back before you squeeze it to death?"

He released my hand, hitched his jeans up, said, "I'm glad we understand each other," and then proceeded to laugh his ass off.

_Well, that went well…_

"Beer?" he asked.

"Thought you'd never ask," I replied.

Some time later, Lafayette yoo-hoo'ed everyone, letting us know that dinner was ready. We all lined up and began filling our plates to the brim with food. Sookie and I picked a newspaper-covered picnic table and sat down to dig in.

I picked up one of the crawfish, trying to figure out how to eat the damned thing. A snicker came across the table from Sookie, who was clearly enjoying the confused look on my face.

"Okay," I said. "I give. What's the trick to this?"

"Do you remember the clue I gave you?"she asked.

"How could I forget? It's not every day that a girl says, 'pinch the tail and suck the head' to a guy."

"Watch me," she ordered.

She picked up one of her crawfish, pinched the tail off it, put the head up to her lips and sucked the shell dry. I sat there, gaping, with my mouth hanging open at the sight of her hollowed cheeks and puckered lips. She was driving me insane.

_Here comes the rolling pin again_, I thought.

"Your turn," she prompted.

I pinched the tail off easily enough, but when I went to suck the contents out of the head, crawfish meat and juice shot out of it, coating my shirt in spicy, fishy goop.

"Aren't you glad I told you to wear a dark shirt?" she mused. "Don't feel bad. Happens to everyone on their first try."

I removed a hush puppy from my plate and promptly tossed it at her head.

The rest of the night was passed with meeting her friends, dancing and of course, more eating. I couldn't remember the last time I enjoyed myself as much at a party. Sookie's friends and family welcomed me as one of their own, and I found myself hoping we would have the chance come back to Bon Temps often.

We were sitting in front of a bonfire when Sookie suddenly leaned in to me and whispered, "I have another surprise for you back at the house. Ready to go?"

"I'm all yours," I agreed. I stood up and took her hand to pull her from the ground. We said our goodbyes to everyone and made it back to Sookie's place shortly thereafter.

When we were inside, Sookie stood up on the tips of her toes, placed her lips on my ear and whispered "Give me five minutes and then meet me out back." She kissed me softly, then, and walked through the kitchen and out the back door. I had no idea what she was up to, but I waited the torturous five minutes and then walked out the door to find my girl.

I stopped on her back porch and was nearly knocked over at the sight in front of me. A line of lit hurricane candles trailed through her back yard, ending at a blanket. Sookie was standing there, fully undressed, glowing in the moonlight. She lifted her arm and held out her hand to me. I walked slowly towards her, wanting a few seconds more to commit every moment of this to memory. When I finally stood in front of her, I took her hand and pulled her down to the blanket with me. We didn't speak. Everything that needed to be said that night was communicated through our lovemaking under the starry Louisiana sky.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

As amazing as the previous night was, I must admit it was a bit disconcerting waking up naked at the ass-crack of dawn out in Sookie's back yard. It's one thing to feel all warm and fuzzy wrapped in your girl's arms, but it's quite another thing entirely when you realize the tingle you're feeling in your nether regions isn't morning wood, but a rather large caterpillar crawling across your Johnson. I made a mental note to remember to put my boxers back on after the next time Sookie was feeling a little frisky for some outdoor activity.

I was feeling pretty damned good that day. As a matter of fact, I'd felt great for the last three and a half days, and the reason for it was currently still snoring away next to me atop a big, ugly-ass quilt that she had so awesomely arranged for us. I was happily replaying the events of the previous twenty-four hours in my mind when I suddenly realized that I had yet to repay Sookie for depositing me into the hands of a drag queen in spandex the night before. A deliciously evil thought popped in to my head, so I checked once to make sure she was still soundly asleep, pulled on my pants and made a beeline towards the house in search of my camera.

Before I went back outside, I flipped through some of the photos from the party. Sookie looked glorious in every one. I continued to scan through, realizing for the first time just how many pictures were stored on my memory card. In the course of three and a half days, I had taken over two hundred fifty photographs…almost all of Sookie.

_Holy, hell,_ I thought. _I'm going to be post-processing forever! _

Truth was, though, I could sit and stare at her face all day. I was hooked. There was no point denying it, even if I wanted to. Which, of course, I didn't.

I walked back down to where Sookie was still sleeping, stopping to pick a few wild flowers along the way. She was laying on her stomach, her face turned sideways, with both arms splayed above her head. I chuckled quietly to myself, thinking how funny it was that she was practically mooning the sun. I placed all of the flowers I had picked on and around her fabulous derriere and snapped off a few shots.

_Yep, that one's gonna be me screensaver,_ I thought.

I heard Sookie stirring, and when she rolled over, the flowers fell off of her and all over the quilt. She wasn't quite awake, so the confusion on her face was nothing less than precious.

"Eric? What are you doing?"

"Oh, just trying to dress up my laptop a bit," I replied, giving her what I hoped was my best shit-eating grin.

She looked at me carefully for a moment, and I could almost see the light bulb go off over her head as she put two and two together. "Eric Northman! Did you just…"

"You bet your sweet ass I did. Paybacks are a bitch…Sugar." I wiggled my eyebrows at her…and bolted in the direction of the house.

Two hours and several rounds of lovemaking later, all debts were repaid – in full. We were sitting in the kitchen polishing off a giant, tasty breakfast when I heard my cell phone ring. Pam's number showed up on the caller ID and I groaned.

_Christ. This should be good…_

"Pamela." I grumbled in my best, "Why the fuck are you calling me?" voice.

"Well, hello there, lover boy. Did you do her yet? I expect details, you know." She was practically cooing.

"You have exactly five seconds to tell my why the fuck you're bothering me before I hang the hell up."

I caught Sookie's questioning look and mouthed, "Sorry. One minute." She nodded and shoved a sausage link in her mouth. Whole.

_Groan…_

"Oh, Eric, don't get your boxers in a twist. I just thought you and that luscious girl of yours would like to see some of the photos from the center. They were so good, and I couldn't help processing a few of them. I posted them to the FTP. Have a look when you take a break from screwing each others brains out. I think you'll like what you see."

"Hell, Pam. I was fully prepared to bitch you out for interrupting my vacation, but It seems I owe you an apology."

"For what? Being you? Anyways, just thought you'd want to know. Ta-ta, darling. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." And then she hung up. That Pam. She was evil as a snake, and I yet loved her dearly.

I grabbed my laptop out of my bag and carried it back to the kitchen table to power it up.

"What was that about?" Sookie asked.

"Pam processed some of the photos from Saturday and thought we would want to see them. Oh, and she wanted to know if we did it yet."

_Sorry, too funny. I couldn't pass that up…_

Sookie just rolled her eyes and said, "Well, let's have a look."

_Bless her._

I pulled my chair next to her and placed the laptop between us. When I pulled up our FTP and clicked on the link, several thumbnail images appeared. I scrolled over the first one and clicked on it. Pam was right. They were good. I prayed Sookie thought so, too. I wanted her to be happy with them, and I hoped they would help her accomplish her goal.

"These are amazing, Eric. Really, really amazing," she breathed, leaning over to place a kiss on my cheek.

I scrolled through a few more and suddenly, Jacob's bright, happy face filled the screen. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Sookie's breath caught in her throat. "Oh, god, Eric. He looks so beautiful." A little tear escaped from one of her eyes, and I caught it with my finger.

"What's wrong, Sookie? Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing," she said, a little too casually. "I miss the little bugger, that's all."

"C'mon, Sookie. You're not fooling me. Spill it." I put my arm around her waist and pulled her up on my lap.

She exhaled deeply and said, "I know we're not supposed to have favorites at the center, Eric, but I just can't help it. I love him so much. Every time I see his smile, my heart melts a little. I just wish…" Her voice trailed off with more than a hint of sadness in it.

"Its okay, Sookie. Tell me."

"I wish I could have him with me every day. I would love to adopt him, but even with my background, I can't afford him. I can barely take care of myself, let alone a little boy. With what I make, no one in their right mind would give him to me legally."

I was floored. I knew she was crazy about him, but I had no idea the emotions ran that deep. There was no end to the surprises with the woman. I hugged her tightly, not really knowing what else to do.

The small tears turned in to gut-wrenching sobs. She was shaking, and I hated feeling that helpless. My brain was spinning with crazy thoughts, but the one that kept flashing to the forefront of my mind was that I loved her, and I'd do anything I could to make her happy.

"Shhh, Sookie," I soothed, rocking her softly and stroking her hair. "Everything is going to be ok. We'll work it out."

And although I couldn't believe what I was thinking, I knew what I was going to do. All I had to figure out how.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

_I felt his presence before I saw him. I could hear his giggles from somewhere behind me. I turned around and saw him release himself from her arms. It was almost painful to look at them. They were so beautiful…it made my chest ache with the explosion of love that coursed through me. And then he was running towards me, arms stretched wide, calling to me. "Daddy!" he cried aloud, and my heart nearly burst open. I bent down to catch him, his little arms wrapping around my neck as I lifted him to me. He hugged me tightly, then placed two tiny hands on my cheeks and looked in to my eyes. "You've been gone too long, daddy. I missed you."_

I woke with a start, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest. My face was damp, and I reached to wipe the remnants of freshly fallen tears from my eyes. It was only a dream, I told myself.

_But it felt so real…_

I looked over to Sookie, her peaceful, sleeping body rising and falling with each breath. The need to touch her was overwhelming, and I rolled to my side, pulling her to me. She stirred, a whimper rising from her lips, but did not wake, and I was grateful for it. I needed this time to myself to consider the thoughts I had been having since seeing Jacob's face flash across the laptop screen that morning.

Jacob. I couldn't think about him without smiling. That day at the center, he had approached me. Sookie said it was a major step forward for him. But for me, it was something more. It was if there was a rope tied between us, one end wrapped around my heart. I felt the pull of it that day, but hadn't yet realized what it was. The way his face lit up when we talked together, with his big blue eyes boring through me… he was sensing something good enough in me to offer up his attentions.

Something bigger than me was at work – I knew that without a doubt. Even though I had never been a big believer in fate or destiny, or any of the crazy new-age shit people spouted for that matter, I couldn't deny the fact that my meeting Sookie, and everything that subsequently followed, was leading me to something more important, more meaningful. But knowing you want to do something about it, and actually doing it are two different things. I was confused, but I knew without a single moment of hesitation that I could. All I had to do was picture Jacob in my mind, and I knew I was making the right decision.

The first obstacle, of course, would be doing the research. I knew little, well…nothing about adoption. But that would be easy enough, I thought. I've got enough money, the best lawyers said money could buy, and of course, there was Pam. That woman was force to be reckoned with when she put her mind to something. She was as fierce as they come when she's loyal to someone. I give her a lot of grief, but the truth is, I don't know what my life would have been like if she hadn't been there for me all these years. She drove me bat-shit crazy at times, but I loved her dearly.

The second obstacle would be the hardest to get past. How does one tell a woman he's known for less than a week that he loves her so much, he'd actually adopt a child for her? When I said it out loud, even I knew how insane it sounded. It's not as if something like "us" was normal. There's no precedent set, no case studies in love-at-first sight to give me an idea of what to expect when I laid a bombshell like that on her. There were really only two possible reactions, though. Either she would be ecstatic, or she would turn tail and run. As much as I had hoped it was the former, I couldn't completely rule out the latter.

The rest of it…well, that could wait a bit. I needed more time to think things through before I started the ball rolling. I would have to play my cards close to my chest until every "I" was dotted and every "T" was crossed. It was not a thing to be taken lightly. Fortunately, I lived in a home of such peace and ease that I was afforded the opportunity to take the time necessary to cover all my bases. We had five more days left to spend in this magical place, and I intended to use every second of it to its fullest potential.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed Sookie stir. I snapped out of it when I felt her begin to roll toward me. Her sleepy face was so stunning in the moonlight that was spilling across us through the window. If I hadn't been laying down, the sight of her would have brought me to my knees.

She ran a hand across my cheek, brushing back a stray hair. "What are you thinking about so intently?" she asked quietly.

I didn't want to lie to her, but I didn't want to say anything that would scare her, or worse, get her hopes up should I fail to execute the plans I had been considering. I was pretty sure it would have killed me if something I did hurt her, even unintentionally. So instead, I said, "I'm just thinking about how happy I am. I've been replaying the past four days in my mind, and I'm just hoping I won't wake up tomorrow and find it was all a dream."

She pulled my face to hers and kissed me. At first, it was soft, tentative even. But gradually, it deepened, her tongue hungrily searching for mine.

"Does this feel like a dream to you, Eric?" she whispered against my mouth.

"Everything about being with you feels like a dream," I replied. "I need to know that this is real. Show me it's real, Sookie. Please, show me."

Sookie slowly rose up from beside me and stretched a leg across my waist. She was sitting atop my hips, her legs pressing into mine. Her hands reached for my chest, and she ran them down my sides, the sensation sending shivers up my spine.

"Can you feel my hands on you in your dreams?"

"No," I murmured.

She leaned in and ran her sweet tongue across my lips. "Can you taste me in your dreams?"

I couldn't speak. I just shook my head, staring in to her eyes.

She pulled her hair around one of her shoulders and let it fall across my face. "Can you smell me in your dreams?"

Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes. I could feel them pushing their way out, wanting release. In four days, this woman had changed the very course of my existence, and she wasn't a dream. She was a living, breathing, beautiful creature, and she had chosen me. I was rocked to my core, watching her, feeling her, smelling her.

"I love you, Sookie. I love you so much it hurts. Promise me it will be like this always." I was shaking with all the emotions pouring forth from me.

She pulled up, my heart aching at the loss of her touch against my chest, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She pulled her nightgown over her head, tossing it to the floor and placed herself over my erection. She never once stopped looking at me. Tears were now forming at the corners of her large blue eyes, and I raised my hands to wipe them away. We were at a turning point. Our emotions, exposed and raw, were leading us over a precipice. There would be no going back. I was committed to her happiness, wholly more important than my own.

As she lowered her body on mine, she said, "I promise, Eric. I will love you forever. This isn't a dream. This is our life."

I sat up, needing to pull her body as close to mine as physically possible. Every movement, every kiss was a promise we were making to each other…a declaration of love, of passion, of caring for one another, for then and for always. I lost all control, rocking in and out of her with abandon, and when we came, we fell to the bed, tangled up in one another. Nothing in my life would ever compare to that night. It was the moment I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would marry Sookie Stackhouse. All ll I had left to do was find the courage to ask.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

"You're gonna do _what_?"

You know that scene near the end of Top Gun, when Maverick tells Merlin that he's going to slow down & bring the MIG in closer? Remember how Merlin pretty much freaked the fuck out? When I told Jason what I had planned for me and Sookie, that was almost exactly the reaction I got.

I had pilfered Sookie's mobile while she was still sleeping earlier that morning, needing to find both Jason and Lafayette's numbers. I knew that I didn't need anyone's permission to ask her to marry me, but I very much wanted it nonetheless. Jason and Lafayette were her family. They loved her, and wanted her happiness as much as I did. Their approval would mean the world to Sookie, and consequently, me.

I had arranged to meet them at a bar in town, telling Sookie that I wanted take the truck for a spin and see how it handled on the open country roads. I hated lying to her, but I justified it in my brain by telling myself she would appreciate the gesture of asking her family for her hand. That was how I came to have my Top Gun moment.

"I'm going to ask Sookie to marry me, Jason, and I'd really like your blessing." I was surprised at how easily that came out. I was very nervous before walking in to the bar, but I was on a mission and nothing, not even my nerves, was going to get in the way.

"Let me get this straight, sugar," Lafayette drawled, laying a painted hand on Jason's arm in a calming gesture. "You wanna marry our Sookie after knowing her for five days? Cher, I likes you, I do, but I think you may have lost your damn mind."

"I know how crazy it sounds, Lafayette. I do." I moved forward in my chair, looking him straight in the eyes. "But she came crashing in to my life, and now, well, there's no going back. I think about her constantly. I dream about her when I sleep. I miss her when she's only a few feet away from me. There's no coming back from that. I'm done for. I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy. I want to give her everything she's ever dreamed of."

I sat back in my chair and looked back and forth between Jason and Lafayette. I felt as if I was hanging on by a thread, and I was having trouble reading their faces. They looked at each other for what felt like hours, but in fact had been merely seconds before looking at me and breaking out in to loud, bellowing laughter.

Jason let out a long, piercing whistle and exclaimed, "Boy, you got it bad."

"Tell me about it," I muttered, shaking my head. "She's got me so worked up, I don't know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch. I mean it though, guys. I promise to take care of her and treat her right. I really would like your blessing. I'll ask her without it, but it would be nice to have it all the same."

"Well, hell, when you put it like that, doesn't seem right to refuse you," Jason shouted.

"Just remember what I said about kicking your ass from here to Shreveport if you fuck up," Lafayette warned, though it was done through smiling eyes.

"How in the hell do you think I would forget a threat from a guy who was wearing red spandex?" I asked, relief beginning to wash over me.

We all laughed together for some time, until Jason called out to the bartender. "Arlene, bring us a round of beers. Looks like we got ourselves a toast to make. My baby sister's gettin' hitched." He looked me square in the face when the beers appeared, raised his glass and said, "Well, brother. Welcome to the family."

I returned to the farm house late in the afternoon feeling as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was still scared shitless about the prospect of asking Sookie to marry me. Actually, that wasn't totally true. I was excited to ask her. What I was afraid of was the chance that she'd think I was certifiable and take off running. I couldn't deal with that if she did.

When I walked up to the front porch, I found Sookie napping on the swing. One of her trashy romance novels was open, laying across her chest. Her legs were crossed at the ankle and were lying across the arm rest. Her head was atop a pillow, and her hair was hanging down the side of the swing, swaying in the air. I quietly snuck in the front door, not wanting to wake her while I went to get my camera. I'd had a vision of her exactly like that the first night we arrived, and now she'd brought that vision to life. Like everything else she had done over the previous several days, I felt the need to commit it to memory.

I stepped back out onto the porch and leaned against the railing to take the photograph. She stirred when she heard the shutter click. I continued to fire off shots as she smiled at me, stretching her arms and yawning deeply. I had grown to love that sleepy look on her face, and I knew I was going to enjoy waking up to that every morning for the rest of my life.

"How was your drive?" she asked as she walked over to kiss me.

"Mmm, not nearly as nice as that kiss you just plante on me," I teased.

I pushed myself up to sit atop the railing and pulled her in to stand in between my legs. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and I hugged her shoulders to my chest. I kissed the top of her head and stared off across the fields, thinking about how and when I would propose to her.

I knew I wanted to do it before we left. It seemed right somehow to ask her there in the home of her youth, in her sanctuary. It was her happy place, and I wanted her to associate that with the beginning of our life together.

I thought about Jacob, and how I would tell her of my plans to adopt him if she agreed to marry me. I wanted him in my life as badly as I wanted her, and as with Sookie, nothing would stop me from making him mine. He was a part of me long before I knew he existed.

"My son," I said to myself.

Five days earlier, I hadn't even know that would be an option in my life. But then, there was no other choice. He wasn't an option. He was necessity. The realization of that knocked the wind out of me, and my heart felt like it would pound out of my chest, too much love in it to be contained within my body.

I thought about all the changes that would have to be made once we returned to New York if Sookie agreed to be my wife. She'd have to move in with me, of course. Her place wasn't nearly big enough for her, let alone me and Jacob. We would have to convert the guest bedroom to Jacob's room. We'd have to enroll him in school. I would have to work less during the adjustment period. Jacob would need to have the both of us around a good deal if he was going to learn to trust me completely. Whatever it took, I was ready to tackle it, head on, with Sookie by my side. I felt like I could do anything as long as she was with me.

We stood like that for a long time, quietly watching the sun set over the fields around her house. My stomach began to rumble, and I asked her what she wanted to do for dinner.

She looked at her watch and said, "I started a pot roast hours ago. It should be ready by now. Shall we check?"

"I'm famished. Lead the way."

Over dinner, we discussed what she envisioned her donor presentation looking like. "I want it simple and straightforward," she said. "The childrens' faces should tell the story. I don't need to fill it with words. I want it to be conveyed through the photographs."

"The whole 'a picture is worth a thousand words' thing?" I asked.

"Exactly. The donors I'm targeting get bombarded with requests for money every day. I need to show them why they should give us a portion of it. I have to appeal to their emotions instead of their common sense."

"Sookie, have you thought about having a fundraiser?" I asked, an idea already forming in my head.

"I have, but those cost money to put on, even if most everything is donated. We just can't afford it right now," She said, a little too sadly for my taste.

"I have an idea, Sookie. Hear me out, ok? I know a lot of famous people because of what I do. These people have a ton of money between them. I guarantee you Pam could talk every single one of them into showing up, especially if they thought it was a 'see and be seen' kind of event. I'm sure Sam would let us use his gallery. Of course, I would donate the photographs of the kids for a silent auction. It wouldn't have to cost you a thing. What do you think?"

"I think," she said as she grabbed my hand across the table, "You are the most amazing man I've ever known. I think that it's a wonderful idea, and I think I'm going to take you up on it. Thank you, Eric. Once again, you've made me a very happy girl."

I stared at her for a long moment, and then I placed my fork on my plate and pulled the napkin from my lap. I rose and walked towards her, offering her my hand. She stood from the table and curled in to my chest, hugging me tightly.

After a few minutes, she gently released me and said, "Let's go upstairs."

"Of course," I replied. "Why don't you head up and take a nice relaxing bath. I'll clean up in here and come up when I'm done."

"Leave it. We can take care of it tomorrow. I just want to be close to you right now." She kissed me hungrily, and I did the only thing I could think of…I picked her up and carried her upstairs.

She pointed towards the bathroom, and when I set her on the floor, she stood in front of me and began to remove my clothes. Her eyes never left mine as she unbuttoned my shirt, pushing it off my shoulders and running her hands over them. She reached over to the faucet on the antique claw-footed tub and turned on the water. Satisfied with the temperature, she returned her attentions to me. She slowly unbuckled my belt, pulling it out of my pants and tossing it to the floor. I gasped as she ran her fingers down my chest to the top of my jeans and unbuttoned them. She pulled the zipper, and then pushed my jeans down to my feet. I stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. When I felt the tug at the waist band of my boxers, I lost any semblance of control I'd had left.

I crashed my mouth against hers, needing to taste her, to feel her tongue against mine. I removed her clothing quickly, and took off my boxers. When the tub was filled, I turned off the water and stepped in. I sat down and held my hand out to her. She got in and sat facing me, her legs straddling mine. I pulled her to me, wanting the distance closed between us. I wrapped my arms around her and settled my hands under her beautiful backside.

When I entered her moments later, she moaned loudly, throwing her flushed face back. She began to move on me with abandon, and I leaned forward, breathing hard against her ear. I couldn't control myself, moaning, "I love you, Christ, Sookie, I love you so damn much," as we came.

When we'd come back down to earth, I leaned against the tub, turned her around and pulled her back in to my chest. She rested her head against my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around her. We were quiet for some time, basking in the simple pleasure of the moment.

Sookie was the first to break the silence. "I really like this, Eric. I think we should take a bath together every day."

I couldn't help but smile as I silently thought, "_Just say yes when I ask you, Sookie, and I promise to make that happen."_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"_Please, Sookie. Just listen to me. I know you think I'm totally off the wall asking you this after 5 days, but god damn it, I love you, and that's not gonna change. Not 5 days from now, not 5 years from now. I promise you, this is right, and I know you feel it too." I was begging her to listen, but she kept running away. Every time I'd get close enough to touch her, I would turn around and she was gone. "Baby, please," I pleaded._

"_Eric, this is insane," She yelled. "I know you said you love me, and I love you, too. I do. But marriage? Now? It's too much, too fast."_

_I reached my arms out to her, needing to feel her so badly, but in an instant, she was gone_.

I shot straight up out of bed. I couldn't breathe, and my chest and head were pounding. Sookie felt me next to her and rose to calm me.

"It's ok, sweetie. It was only a dream. Shhh…" she whispered. She rubbed my back and arm with soft, soothing fingertips, and she placed loving kisses at my temple. "Just take a deep breath, Eric. Relax."

_How could I possibly relax?_ I thought. _I was just dreaming that Sookie said no. My whole world, all my plans…was I crazy for wanting this?_

Suddenly, I started second-guessing my decision. _I need to think. I need to leave. I need to get out of this bed, out of this room, out of her arms…_

I jumped out of bed, dressing quickly, leaving Sookie behind, scared and concerned. I could hear the panic in her voice, screaming my name as I ran down the stairs, out the front door and into the pouring rain, but I couldn't stop myself. I had no idea where I was running to, I just knew I needed to keep going. I ran until I couldn't go any further. My feet were hurting, and when I looked at them, I realized I hadn't even stopped to throw on my shoes in my haste to leave.

I dropped to my knees with my hands in my head, large sobs coming out of my chest. "What the fuck were you thinking?" I screamed to no one but myself.

The seriousness of the situation nearly knocked me over. I knew, just _knew_ if I asked Sookie to marry me and she said "no" that it would be the end of me. There I was, faced with the most important choice of my life, and there was a very real possibility that she would reject me. I didn't want to think about what would become of me if that were to happen.

I replayed our conversations of the previous nights over and over in my head. She said she loved me. She said she wanted to be with me always.

_Shouldn't that be enough?_ I thought.

The truth was staring me in the face. _No._ It wouldn't be enough. I wanted her to be mine, body and soul. I needed her to have my name, to join her life with mine. I could be patient, but I couldn't afford to lose her, either. I felt hopeless, scared shitless and utterly pathetic all at the same time. I was so sure about it all the day before.

_Why did I have to have that dream?_

Before I had the chance to answer my own question, I heard Sookie screaming my name. She was running towards me, soaked to the bone and looking breathtaking in the pouring rain. The terrified look on her face broke my heart. She dropped to her knees in front of me and grabbed my hands.

"Eric? Please tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me."

I was sobbing, my tears mixing with the raindrops on my face. I couldn't speak.

"Eric, you have to talk to me. What happened back there? Did you get freaked out? Is this all moving too fast? We can slow it down, I promise. I just want to be with you. Just don't leave me, ok?"

I think my heart stopped, or at the very least, it found its way up to my throat and lodged itself in there. Was she really worried that I thought it was going too fast? At that moment, all the fear drained out of me. I grabbed her face between my hands and crushed my mouth against hers, kissing her fiercely, wanting her more than I ever had before.

She was crying and I pulled her into my arms, cradling her on my lap.

"I'm sorry, Sookie. I'm such a jackass. I wasn't afraid this was going too fast. I was…" I tried, over and over to get the words out, but they just wouldn't come. That wasn't how I pictured it happening. "Oh, Christ, Sookie." I groaned, lifting her in to my arms and carrying her back to the house through the storm.

When we got back, I sat her down on the porch swing and kissed her softly. Her sobs had slowed to mere whimpers, and it nearly killed me to know that I was the cause of her sadness and confusion.

"Stay here, baby. I'll be right back, ok? I promise, I'll explain everything."

She nodded her head as I kissed her hand before running in to the house. I flew down the hallway to the bedroom and grabbed my camera bag, removing the black velvet pouch I had placed in it days before. I stood there for a moment and stared up at the ceiling, trying my damnedest to center myself.

"Mom," I began, "I'm gonna need a little help here." I kissed the soft velvet of the bag, hoping that she was looking down over me and making sure that I wouldn't fuck it up.

I returned to the porch and sat next to Sookie on the swing, placing my arm around her shoulder and pulling her head to rest on my chest. "I'm going to say something to you, Sookie, and I need you to let me get it all out before you say anything, ok?" She nodded her head against me.

"These past five days with you have been the best of my life. I was miserable and depressed and then all of a sudden, you were there, crashing right in to me. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever…will ever see in my entire life. You've made me feel emotions I though were buried away inside me long ago. You brought me back to life, Sookie."

Slow sobs began to rise from her chest again, and she said, "Eric, I…"

"Shhh...Sookie." I pleaded. "Please, let me finish."

She nodded, but her body was shaking. I ran a hand through my hair, searching for the right words.

"I can't imagine spending another day without you. When I ran out of the house this morning, it was because I was scared to death you'd say no to me if I pushed you too fast. But, you, crazy girl, thought I was running from you, which couldn't have been further than the truth. I was scared you would say no to this."

I placed the velvet bag in her trembling hands. "Go ahead. Open it," I said.

She looked at me for a long moment, and then turned her eyes to the bag. She ran her fingers over the soft surface, then untied the strings at the top. She reached in and pulled the ring out of the bag, staring at it for a while before returning her gaze to me.

"It was my mother's ring. Before she died, she gave it to me and told me to only give it to the one woman who loved me as much as she loved my father. I know it's fast, and I know it's crazy, but I've never been more certain of anything in my life. I love you, Sookie. That ring is yours, if you'll have me. Marry me. Please, Sookie. Say you'll marry me."

She was quiet for a long, panic-filled moment, and then a huge, tearful smile spread across her face. She threw her arms around my neck and said the sweetest, most classic "Sookie" words I've ever heard.

"Of course I will, Silly!"

Relief and joy settled over me, and I picked her up, hugging her tightly to me. She peppered my face with rough kisses, and when I set her down, she handed the ring to me.

"Will you put it on me, Eric?"

I placed the ring on her finger, and she stared it, then turned her face to the sky and yelled, "Mrs. Northman, if you can hear me, I promise I'll earn this! I love him!"

I kissed her, knowing somehow that my mom could hear her.

I grabbed her hand and led her back to the swing, pulling her on to my lap. "There's more, Sookie."

"More? How can this possibly get any better?"

I loved seeing her so happy. I could stare at her face forever when she smiled like that. "You have to promise me that you'll tell me if it's too much, though, ok?"

She nodded, and her face became serious.

"I want us to adopt Jacob. He belongs with us. I want us to be a family, and I don't want to imagine our life without him. How do you feel about that, Sookie?"

She threw her arms around my neck, throwing us so off balance that we fell off the swing and on to the porch. Her beautiful laughter made her whole body shake on top of mine, and I knew in an instant what her answer would be. We laid there together for what seemed like hours, reveling in the happiness of the moment.

"So, I'm guessing it wasn't too much for you, huh?" I teased.

She kissed me deeply and said, "I like 'too much.' It seems to be working pretty well for us so far."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

I stood up, holding my hand out to Sookie. When she placed hers in mine, I pulled her to her feet, then picked her up so that her legs wrapped around my waist and her arms curled around my shoulders. I had held her often in the previous several days, but something had changed. Every touch, every kiss…it all seemed so to intensify. We had declared our love for one another and pledged to bond our lives together. There was nothing casual about us at that point, not that there ever really was to begin with.

I placed my mouth against her swollen lips, licking the lower one and taking small nips at it. Sookie gasped, whispering, "take me to the bedroom, Eric." I could feel her smile through the hot, gentle kisses she was giving me.

"Anything for you, Mrs. Soon-to-Be Northman," I teased.

"Mmm…I like the sound of that." She grabbed handfuls of my hair, pulled my head back and stared in to my eyes. "Say it. I want to hear it again."

"Mrs. Sookie Northman," I repeated.

"Susannah, please. Use my full name." Her eyes bore in to mine, fierce and deathly serious.

"Mrs. Susannah Northman." I stared back at her, letting the words sink in. "Jesus Christ, Sookie, that's the sexiest thing I've ever heard."

She moaned, pulling my head forward to meet her hungry lips. She squeezed her legs tightly around my waist and raised her hips just enough for me to feel her rub against the hardness of my erection. I practically flew the both of us to the bedroom.

When we reached the bed, I stood before it with Sookie still in my arms. Her eyes were locked on mine, silently pleading with me to take her. I removed her damp nightgown and threw it across the room. Placing one hand on her back, and then the other under her firm, full ass, I bent forward to lay her on the bed. She released her arms from my neck and rested against her elbows, legs straddling either side of mine as I stood before her. She was driving me crazy, and she knew it. She began to speak, but I placed a finger against her lips. The time for words would come later. Right now, we needed to consume each other.

She parted her lips, taking my finger in to her mouth and greedily sucking on it. A groan escaped my throat as I removed it and drew a slow, gentle line from her lip to the top of her sheer pink thong. I hooked my fingers through the sides of her panties and yanked them down in one swift movement. Sookie leaned forward, her nimble fingers quickly undoing the buttons and releasing my straining erection from my jeans. They fell to my ankles and I stepped out of them as swiftly as humanly possible.

She took me in her hand, deftly stroking my length. My head fell back, spinning with the sensation of her touch. Before I knew what was happening, I felt her warm, soft mouth on me, and I nearly lost control. I looked down at Sookie to see her eyes staring up at me through her long eyelashes. One of her hands was still on my erection, the other laid against my ass, gently guiding me in and out of her mouth. I ran my fingers through her long hair, lightly grabbing it, needing something to steady me on my already shaky legs.

"Oh my God, Sookie…Oh Sookie…"

She removed her hand from my ass and reached up to place one finger upon my lips. She had understood what my earlier gesture meant, and it drove me instantly insane. I pulled out of her mouth, placed both of my hands underneath her arms and threw her fully onto the bed. It was a purely feral reaction. I was claiming what was mine, body and soul. A low roar rose from my chest as I placed myself at her entrance, throwing her legs up and over my shoulders.

As I plunged myself in to her over and over, her breathing became louder, her voice deep and raspy as she urged me on. Her fingers dug in to my hips, pulling me in to her body until I hit the spot that made her scream.

"Right there, Eric…yes, keep going…just like that," she moaned.

I angled my thrusts lower, causing another wave of lights to flash in front of my eyes. Our bodies tensed, the mutual release building until we both exploded and collapsed in to one another. I placed tender kisses against her brow, her eyes, her cheeks and her chin. She looked so beautiful in the midday light with her skin flushed and covered in a light sheen of sweat.

When my breathing steadied, I propped myself up on my elbow, tracing circles with my index finger on her smooth stomach.

"You know, Susannah, I think I may just have to propose to you every day if what we just did immediately follows. That was…unbelievable."

She let out a tiny giggle, reaching her head up to place a tiny kiss on my cheek and said, "Eric, proposing to me every day would require me to take this ring off my finger, and that's just not gonna happen. It's staying right where it is, thank you very much."

I grinned at her, cocking a single eyebrow. "I take it that means you like it."

She reached her hand out and stared at it for a moment, then grabbed my hand and laced her fingers with mine. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. What's the story behind your father giving it to your mom?"

"Well, apparently, my parents were pretty poor when they got engaged, so my mom never had a real engagement ring. Before their twentieth anniversary, my dad designed that ring and had it made. At their anniversary party, he got down on one knee and proposed to her again." My father was a hopeless romantic, and at that particular moment, lying naked with Sookie, I was amazingly grateful for it.

"Aw, that's so sweet. Tell me about the design." She held it up to let the diamonds catch the light before placing it back down on her stomach.

"Each of the diamond circles represents one of my parents. They overlap, signifying their joining. The solitaire in the center of the overlap represents the two of them becoming one." I grabbed her hand, holding it up again to the light. "Now it belongs to us, telling our story, and when he's ready, it'll tell Jacob's."

I kissed the ring on her hand, and when I pulled back to look in her tear-filled eyes, I saw our future staring back at me…and I'll be damned if it didn't look amazing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"So, when do you want to do this marriage thing?" Sookie was curled up next to me under the covers after several rounds of mind-blowing, late-morning lovemaking. Her face was lit up with a full-on afterglow, and her words were said through her adorable giggles.

"Saturday?" It was a statement, actually, not a question.

"_THIS_ Saturday?" She shreiked, sitting up and staring at me, wide-eyed and lovely.

"No time like the present," I replied. "I just got you to agree to marry me after five days of knowing me. I don't want to give you the chance to back out." I kissed her forehead and pulled her back down to lay next to me.

"Eric, that's just crazy talk. There's no way in hell we can pull this off in two and a half days."

"Ah, but you're forgetting something," I countered. "We have a few secret weapons in our arsenal."

"Really?" she questioned, one eyebrow cocked. "Do tell."

"My money and my sister. There's nothing the two of them can't accomplish together." A heavy rumble of laughter emanated from my chest, and Sookie once again sat up to stare at me.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"As a heart attack. Don't tell me the Sookie I know and love isn't up for the challenge."

"Is that a dare?" she growled, her brows furrowed. I had her, and she knew it.

"You bet your ass it is."

"Fine. You're on, Northman!" She jumped up and straddled my body, pinning my arms over my head. She plastered my face with wet, sloppy kisses, and then sat back over my hips.

"Where do we start?" she asked.

"Well, I suppose we should begin by extricating ourselves from this bed. Then I think we should rally the troops."

"The troops? I can't wait to hear this one…"

"Jason, Lafayette, Pam, Sam, and Octavia. You know, our family. The troops."

"Okay, you call your gang, I'll call mine. I'm going to have to think about how to tell Jason about this. He's going to freak!" She looked nervous.

"Um, Sookie, I sort of already did."

"Did what?"

"Talked to Jason. And Lafayette. They're you're family. I thought it best to ask for their blessing before I asked you. They're in."

I couldn't read the expression on her face. It was part curious, part confused and part…I wasn't sure. I sat up, wrapped my arms around her hips, and kissed her neck. "Are you okay, Sookie?"

"You asked my brother for my hand? Are you kidding me?"

_Uh, oh._ "No, I'm not kidding. I really thought it would be important to you. Was I wrong to speak with them?"

I never got an answer, but I assumed – judging by all the kissing that followed - I had done the right thing.

An hour later, we finally – grudgingly - got out of bed. After taking one hell of a fun shower together, we grabbed our respective cell phones and got to work.

Jason and Lafayette both agreed to come over for dinner, which gave me enough time to do a little research and call Pam. We'd call Sam and Octavia after Jason and Lafayette left.

I was scouring the net for information on obtaining a marriage license in Renard Parish when Sookie walked in to the kitchen.

"Hey," I began, "did you know that because we're both out- of-state residents, we can skip the mandatory 72-hour wait period after we get our marriage license in Louisiana? We just have to get a judge to approve it. You don't happen to know a judge, do you?"

She came over to me and placed a light kiss on the top of my head. "No, I didn't know that, but it's certainly convenient for us. And, yes, I do know someone. Judge Hicknell. He was sweet on my Gran for years. I bet I could call him up and get him to push it through."

"Well, hell, this is going to be easier than I thought. Do you think he'd perform the ceremony, too?" I was pleased at the happy turn of events, so I'm pretty sure I looked like a grinning idiot. I didn't care.

"I'm sure he could, but I have a better idea. Let's come back to that one later." She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of sweet tea.

"Tea?" She offered.

"No thanks. I'm good. I've still got a lot of work to do before I call Pam."

She started to giggle, and it confirmed what I already knew. _Yep, I was grinning like an idiot. Nope. Still didn't care._

"Sweetie, can I ask you something?" She was leaning against the counter, staring intently at me.

"Of course, anything."

"Can we do it here on the farm? Outside? It would mean a lot to me."

I stood from my seat at the table and walked over to her, pulling her tiny body in to mine. "Sookie, there's nothing you could ask of me that I'd ever deny you. I love you. If you want to do it here, then so do I. I just want to marry you. Everything else is just…a bonus."

"I still can't believe this is happening, Eric," she sighed, "but I'm so happy."

We hugged each other quietly for a long time before I finally pulled back and broke the silence. "Why don't you try to reach the Judge and see what we have to do to get the ball rolling. I've got to call Pam. I have a feeling it's going to be an intense conversation, and I may as well get it over with."

She kissed me, long and furious, said "Good luck with that!" and then left to call Judge Hicknell from the bedroom.

I dialed my sister's number and she picked up on the second ring.

"Well, hello there, lover boy. Are you ready to dish out the details yet?"

"Pam, I have something important to tell you. Can you drop the sarcasm and get your mind out of the gutter for a few minutes? I'm going to need your help." She wasn't going to make this conversation easy for me. I could feel it in my gut already.

"Okay, one second, Eric." I heard her put the phone down, and then say, "Carolina, darling, this may take a little while. Why don't you start the bath without me."

I groaned. I certainly did not need to hear that little bit of information. _Ugh._

Pam picked the phone back up and said, "Alright. Now what's so important that you feel it necessary to interrupt my bath with Carolina?"

_Again with the TMI…_

"I asked Sookie to marry me. We're going to do it here on the farm this Saturday," I blurted out.

"_YOU'RE GONNA DO WHAT?" _she wailed, killing my eardrum in the process.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" That was the second Top Gun moment in two days.

_Jesus Christ._

"I said, I'm getting married. And I want you here. With me. And Sam. And Octavia. By tomorrow night. I need your help pulling it all together. Will you? It wouldn't be right without you."

Pam was quiet for a while, which, of course, was rare. I was getting nervous, but thank God, she finally put me out of my misery. "So I guess that means you did sleep with her, then?"

"Christ on a pogo stick, Pam, are you going to come and help me or not?"

"Of course I am, you twat. You're my brother. Consider it done. Now what do you need me to do?"

I asked her to make flight arrangements for herself, Sam and Octavia to get in by Thursday evening. I also needed a copy of my birth certificate faxed to me by the following morning for the wedding license and a suit, so she would need to stop by my apartment and pick them up. Most importantly, I asked her to get me the best set of platinum wedding bands she could find, money being no object. I trusted her taste implicitly, and Sookie deserved only the best. When we were wrapping up the details, Sookie walked back in to the kitchen. She pointed to my phone and silently let me know she wanted to speak with Pam.

"Hey, Pam, Sookie wants to talk to you for a second."

I handed over the phone, and heard Sookie say, "Pam, I'm sure you probably think we're both bat shit insane, but I promise you, I love your brother, and want to spend the rest of my life with him. When you get here tomorrow, I'll explain how it all happened. But I want to ask you a question, and I hope you'll say yes." She paused, and I assumed she was listening to Pam's response. She giggled and then said, "you can say that again. So, what I wanted to ask you…I don't have a sister, Pam, and since we're seemingly going to be related in less than three days, I hoped you'd stand up with me as my Maid of Honor."

A huge smile swept across her face, and I made a mental note to hug the shit out of my sister when I saw her tomorrow for whatever it was she'd just said to Sookie.

"Thanks, Pam. I'm so thrilled that you'll be there with me. I'll see you tomorrow. Here's Eric again."

"Hey Pam…"

"Well, there's a first time for everything, I guess," she said.

"What are you talking about?"

"That's the first time – and probably the last – my name and the word 'maid' will be used in the same sentence."

God damn, that woman could make me laugh. I loved her, and I was so stupid-happy that I told her as much.

"Seriously, Eric. Save the softy-business for your wife-to-be. It gives me the willies. Now get off the fucking phone so I can work my magic."

"Thank you, Pam. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Holy shit, Eric. She must be freakin' amazing in the sack," she stated flat-out. And then she hung up. That Pam.

When I closed my phone, I stood and walked over to the refrigerator, where Sookie was pulling out ingredients for that night's dinner with Jason and Lafayette. I helped her carry everything to the counter, and she put me to work cleaning and cutting up the vegetables while she worked on preparing some chicken to be fried. It was comfortable and natural, as if we'd been preparing meals together for years. I caught another glimpse of my future life with her, and I smiled to myself. I was thinking back on her conversation with Pam when a little bell went off in my brain.

"Sookie?"

"Yes?" she answered as she coated the chicken in batter.

"What were you and Pam talking about when you said 'You can say that again'?"

She laughed, and then looked at me, a huge grin spread across her beautiful lips. "Pam said, 'You know, when Eric wants something, he really goes the whole nine yards, doesn't he?'"

"She's right, you know. I'd have hounded you half to death until you said yes."

She took a few steps towards me and placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. There was a bit of flour on her forehead, but she looked so cute with it there that I couldn't will myself to wipe it off.

"Well, it's a good thing I said yes, then, huh? I would have hated to see you chase me around like a puppy dog. Wait…that could have been fun. Can I reconsider my answer?" She slowly backed away from me, a silly grin plastered on her face, realizing that I was about to pounce on her.

A low growl erupted from somewhere in my chest and I bent over, dropping my head by her side and lifting her - ass-up - over my shoulder. I headed towards the living room, lightly spanking her butt and saying, "say it. Say yes, and then _maybe_ I'll show you some mercy."

Sookie was laughing like a maniac, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. "I don't know, Eric, I think I'll have to think about it some more," she teased again.

I spanked her one more time for good measure, and then tossed her on the couch. Two could play at that game.

"Well, if that's the case, and you really have to think about it, I suppose that means you'll be giving the ring back until you decide to come to your senses?"

"Ok, you win. Yes. My answer is yes," she pouted.

"I'm sorry, what was that, Sookie? You need to speak up. I couldn't quite hear you." I was doing an internal happy dance, but I knew she saw me gloating.

"I said, 'YES, Eric NORTHMAN, YOU JACKASS, I'LL MARRY YOU!'"

"Now, was that so hard?" I asked. I reached one hand to her and pulled her up off the couch. She closed the distance between us, and stood on the tips of her toes, her lips next to my ear.

"No, Eric, it wasn't hard at all. But baby, think twice before teasing me like that again, or no nookie from Sookie for a week. Got it, Sugar?" She bit my ear lobe – hard – then smacked me on the ass once and walked back to the kitchen with a satisfied smirk on her face.

_Fuck me running. I'd just been whipped by a girl._

I followed her in to the kitchen, tail firmly tucked between my legs and resumed my vegetable chopping duties.

"Sookie, my love, angel of my life, jewel of my belly button, may I ask you a question?"

"You may, Eric." Damn, she looked sexy when she knew she had me beat.

"Do you have your birth certificate here? We'll need it to get the license."

"I'll look, but if not, they'll have a copy of the original at the parish office. I'm not worried about it. The woman that works there, Judy, has been with the parish for longer than I've been alive, and, of course, was a good friend of Gran's."

"Was there anyone your Gran wasn't friends with?" I asked.

"She didn't particularly like a woman named Maxine. Thought she was too big a gossip, but you'd never know it by the way she treated her." Sookie's expression turned a little sad, then, and I went to hold her.

"What is it, sweetheart?" I asked, concerned at the sudden change in her demeanor.

"Nothing, really. I just wish she was here to share this with us. A wedding on this farm would have made her so happy. I'm fine. Truly. Just got a little misty for a moment, that's all." She snuggled in to my chest, and I cursed silently to myself, knowing this would be the one thing I could never give her.

We were so involved in holding one another that we didn't notice we had company until we heard the back screen door slam shut.

"Save that shit for the wedding night, cheres," Lafayette drawled.

"Too late," Sookie smiled.

"Aw, hell, Sookie, TMI! TMI!" Jason yelled. There seemed to be a lot of that going around lately.

After Sookie finished preparing what amounted to enough food to feed an army, we all sat down at the kitchen table to dig in.

"So, I know this isn't just a family dinner we've been called to, you two. I can smell when somethin's cookin' besides the fried chicken. What's goin' on?" Lafayette asked while spooning a heap of collard greens on his already overflowing plate.

"Well, Jason, Lafayette," I began, "I asked Sookie to marry me, and we want to do it here…this Saturday."

"Holy shit on a stick!" Jason exclaimed. "You serious?"

"Apparently, as a heart attack," Sookie snickered, repeating my response from earlier with a sly smile.

"So, besides being honored guests, sugar, what's that got to do with us?" Lafayette drawled, looking intensely amused.

Sookie cleared her throat. "Jason, I'd like you to give me away. And Lafayette, I'd hoped you would perform the ceremony."

"Wait," I said. "Lafayette can perform marriage ceremonies?"

"You bet your sweet ass I can, darlin'. I got ordained over the internet five years ago. Kept it up ever since."

"And it's legal?" I asked, my mouth left hanging open in shock.

"Yes, chere, it is, and close your mouth. You'll start catching flies."

I slammed my jaw shut at that.

"Okay, guys, enough. Jason, Lafayette, will you do it?" Sookie asked.

"Of course we will, Sookie," Jason agreed through a mouthful of fried chicken. "We wouldn't be anywhere else but with you."

"So, you two thought about where exactly on the farm you want to have it?" Lafayette asked.

"In the back yard," I replied.

"Anyone else coming? Like say, your hot, gay twin brother, Eric?"

I loved Lafayette. I really did.

"Sadly, no. But will my hot, lesbian sister and my sexy straight best friend do? And of course, Octavia will be coming. I'm flying them in tomorrow night."

Lafayette let out a sigh, feigning his disappointment, but soon smiled and said, "Well, I suppose they'll have to do."

We enjoyed the rest of our meal, going over a few wedding details, but mostly enjoying each others company. It felt good to be a part of a family again, even if it was just our small, mish-mashed one.

After Jason and Lafayette left, Sookie and I cleaned up the kitchen. I called Sam, who, as expected, was thrilled at the news. He would be coming, and, of course, agreed to be my Best Man. Sookie called Octavia, and after being convinced that the center would run without the two of them for a few days, agreed to join Pam and Sam on the flight to Shreveport the very next day. Sookie received a return call from Judge Hicknell, who agreed to sign off on the rush license. We were due at the parish building the following day at noon.

Everything had fallen in to place. I was going to marry Sookie in two days. My best friend Sam would be my Best Man. My lesbian sister was Sookie's Maid of Honor. Her crazy brother would walk her down the aisle. The drag-queen minister to "The Church of Jesus Loves Me Even if the Baptists Don't Like My Lifestyle" would be officiating. It was insane, and there was no way in hell it could have been more perfect.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Sookie and I had stayed up half the night discussing plans for the wedding. It was all still a little surreal, but it was so exciting and fun that neither one of us was able to sleep. We lay in bed, laughing as we thought about the absurdness of our wedding party, knowing full well that it was highly unlikely there would ever be another one like it in the history of the world.

"So, what kind of get-up do you think Lafayette will come up with for the wedding? I'm thinking it will be a hot-pink feather boa and matching spandex pants. You?" I asked, cringing at the thought of what our wedding photos would look like.

"Oh, Lord," She sighed. "I have no idea, but I'm scared!"

"Speaking of clothing, Sookie, you're going to need to go shopping for a dress. Maybe you and Pam could drive to Shreveport together tomorrow to find one," Eric suggested.

"Actually, I already have one." She shifted her head on her pillow and snuggled in closer.

"Sookie, please tell me that you're not one of those girls whose had her wedding dress bought and hanging in the back of her closet for years, even before she had the guy. That would seriously screw with my image of you."

_Well, not really_, I thought, _but it would have been kind of weird._

"No, smart ass, I am not one of those girls. But I do have a dress I can wear, and you're just going to have to wait until Saturday to see it."

"So you really are going to marry me, then?" I teased.

"Of course…as long as you behave yourself over the next two days, that is."

I ran a finger down from her shoulder to her hip, and I could feel her shiver at my touch. "Is this considered behaving?" I asked.

"Mmm hmm," She nodded.

I moved my hand down to her backside, pulling her closer to me. "And this?"

"Yep."

I rolled on top of her and kissed her deeply. "How 'bout that?" I questioned through our kisses.

"Definitely."

She was moving her hips against me, and I wanted so badly to be inside of her, but I couldn't help teasing her for just a bit longer. I pushed myself up above her, staring down at her glorious face and asked, "But wouldn't it be sort of misbehaving if we did this before the wedding night?"

She moaned in frustration, then reached up to me, placed her hand behind my head and pulled my face down an inch above hers. "If you don't make love to me right now, Eric Northman, I'll consider it poor behavior on your part, and therefore have grounds to terminate our engagement."

What could I say to that? I crushed my lips against hers and proceeded to make love to my fiancé – _FIANCE!_ – until we both finally passed out from utter exhaustion.

We woke up Thursday morning to a beautiful and sunny day. Sookie was still wrapped up tightly in my arms, and I once again reveled in the rightness of it all. We just…fit. In the past, no one would have ever accused me of being romantic. But this girl, this fantastic woman I was currently holding on to for dear life, made me feel like shouting sonnets from the rooftop. Some might say I'd turned in my "man card" the moment she came along, but I disagreed. With her, I was more of a man than I ever was. Her ability to love me so willingly, so completely, made me want to be the best man I could be…for her, and soon, for Jacob, too.

I would have been lying if I said I wasn't afraid of becoming a husband and a father. But they weren't the irrational fears most men would have if they'd decided, as I had, to get married to someone after knowing them for five days. My fear was more of the "I hope I don't fuck up the awesome responsibilities of being a husband and father" variety.

I was grateful to have had such wonderful role models in my parents. Theirs was a lasting and powerful love, and Pam & I were lucky enough to be the results of it. I promised myself that I would always reflect upon what I thought my parents would do when it came to decisions regarding Sookie and Jacob's happiness…to our family's happiness.

I felt Sookie stirring against me, her hand rubbing against my chest. "What are you thinking about so intently?" she asked through a yawn.

"Honestly?"

"No, _lie_ to me, Eric. Of course I want you to be honest with me." She rolled her eyes at me.

"I was thinking about how happy I am that we found each other…about how much I can't wait for you to be my wife, and for Jacob to become my son…about how I am scared shitless about fucking everything up…but mostly, I was just thinking about how my crummy life as I'd known it ended the moment I crashed in to you on Second Avenue, and how grateful I am that you saw something worthy enough in me to love."

"Wow. Someone's feeling a bit sappy today," she teased.

"Can't be helped," I shrugged. "You bring out the pussy in me."

"You can be a pussy any time you want if you keep saying things like that to me." She hugged me tightly and smiled up at me. God, she was gorgeous in the morning.

I kissed her softly, and said, "Ok, but promise me you won't tell anyone. I've got a reputation to protect."

"You've got yourself a deal, there, Schmoopy."

"What did you call me?" I asked, poking her in her side.

"What? You don't like 'Schmoopy'?" She was practically shrieking from the endless assault of tickles my hands were placing all over her body. Her legs were flailing, and she was futilely attempting an escape from my clutches.

"No, I do not like 'Schmoopy.' I am a big, strong man. I do not resemble a 'Schmoopy' in any way, shape or form. Now, say 'Eric, you're a total stud,' and I just might release you."

She was gasping for air from all the laughter and squealing, but she managed to squeak out, "Okay, okay, Eric, you're a total a stud."

I kissed her forehead, grinned and said, "Thank you. I knew you'd see things my way."

Her breathing finally started to level out, and she asked if I wanted breakfast. "Yep, a good tickle-fest always works up my appetite."

Sookie smiled at me and slowly extricated herself from my clutches. I loved the way her naked, tanned body glowed in the sunlight, and I had a very difficult time not grabbing her, throwing her back down and ravaging her. It almost physically hurt to watch her put on clothing.

As she walked out toward the hallway, she paused in the doorway and asked, "Hey Schmoopy, what do you want to eat?" She squealed again and ran off towards the kitchen.

_Christ, I love this woman_, I thought.

After a long, relaxing shower, I made my way to the kitchen, where Sookie was plating up some chocolate chip pancakes…complete with whipped cream smiley faces on them.

"Peace offering?" she asked with a questioning look.

"Okay," I said. "But no more of the 'S' word today. If Pam hears you say it, I'll never hear the end of it."

She put the plate down in front of me and gave me a lingering kiss. "No problem, you total stud."

I pulled her on to my lap, and she put her plate down next to mine. Scooping a bit of the whipped cream off of my pancake, I lifted my fingtips and rubbed it on her neck. Moving in for the kill quiclky, I licked it off, then scooped up a little more and placed it along her collar bone. Once again, I licked, running my tongue down and across her chest. Her breathing quickened, and small moans escaped her lips. I was about to throw her on the table and cover every inch of her with whipped cream when both of our cell phones began ringing in unison. With the wedding only days away, we knew we had to answer, but neither of us was thrilled about it. I growled, she whimpered, but we both reluctantly got up to answer our phones.

"We _will_ finish this later, Sookie. You can count on that," I grumbled.

"We'd better. It'd be a waste of perfectly good whipped topping if you ask me," she sassed back.

I smacked her on the ass, kissed her roughly and then flipped open my phone.

"Speak, and it had better be good," I spat in to my phone.

"Ooh, did I catch you at a bad time, brother?" Pam asked.

"If you must know, Pam, I was about to eat some whipped cream off my fiancé's beautiful body."

Silence.

"Pam?"

"Holy shit, Eric. She really is the one, isn't she? You've never said anything _that_ unguarded around me before."

I laughed, because I knew she was right. I never willing gave Pam ammunition to use against me. But I was so damned happy, I didn't really care.

"Yes, Pam, she really is. Now will you please tell me what you need to tell me so I can get back to what I was doing?"

"I was just calling to let you know that everything is set. I'm on my way to your apartment to pick up your birth certificate and suit, and then I'll pick up your rings. They're fabulous, if I do say so myself. Sam, Octavia and I will be arriving around seven o'clock, so make sure you get your ass to the airfield to pick us up. I've arranged for flowers, a private chef and cake for the reception, and the food and beverages will be delivered to Sookie's house tomorrow afternoon. The flowers and cake will be there Saturday morning. Oh, and I told Sam to bring his guitar. There's a few other things I'll need to do, but they will have to wait until I get there."

"Jesus. You did all this before ten A.M.? You're amazing, Pam. Thank you so much. I love you, you know."

"I know you do, and you're very welcome. I love you, too. I'll see you at seven tonight. Now get back to that luscious fiancé of yours. You've only got a few hours left before you have house guests. I suggest you use them wisely."

She hung up, and I realized that I was, as usual, in complete and utter awe of my sister.

Sookie walked back in to the kitchen with a huge smile on her face. I loved seeing her so happy. "That was Octavia. She was just letting me know about the arrangements she's made for the center while we're both gone. I guess all we have to do now is get the license and take care of the details like food, drinks and flowers."

"Actually, I just got off the phone with Pam. She's apparently handled all the details already. Looks like our only responsibilities today are getting the license and preparing the guest rooms."

Sookie's jaw dropped at the news of what Pam had accomplished. "She's unbelievable! We really don't have to do anything? I'm falling in love with your sister already!"

"Well," I said as I pulled her body to mine. "There's still the matter of the whipped cream…"

We had an hour and a half before we had to meet the judge to get our license, and by the time we left the house, there wasn't a drop of whipped topping to be found…anywhere.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

"Oh, gross!" Sookie exclaimed from the passenger seat.

"What? What's gross?" I was having a difficult time keeping my face straight. Her squirming was too, too funny.

"I'm all sticky," she grumbled, attempting, and apparently, failing to adjust her bra under her tank top.

"I seem to recall you enjoying the stickiness an hour ago," I grinned. From the look she shot me, I assumed she didn't find my remark the slightest bit funny. _Well, too bad for her,_ I thought.. I was holding on to my happy moment for a little while longer.

"Eric, don't you think it's just the slightest bit twisted that I'm about to apply for our marriage license – a sacred, holy thing – with remnants of whipped cream stuck under my boobs?"

"Nope, actually, I don't. What I do find twisted, however, is the fact that I missed a spot. I'm downright ashamed of myself. Note to self: Pay more attention to my soon-to-be-wife's breasts." I copped a feel before she had the chance to smack me and then made a check mark in the air with my finger, indicating the completion of said task.

"You're incorrigible," she snarled, though I could see the corners of her mouth beginning to turn upwards.

"And yet, you've found it in your heart to deem me worthy of your affections anyways. You're a remarkable creature, Ms. Stackhouse." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and as expected, she doubled over with laughter.

"Make a right here, jackass. The parking lot is on the left," Sookie said, directing me to the parish government office. It was five minutes until noon, which meant I was five minutes away from being one major step closer to being the luckiest S.O.B. on planet Earth.

I parked the truck, slung my camera bag over my shoulder and walked around to the passenger side, opening Sookie's door and offering her my hand.

"Are you ready for this, babe?" I asked.

"You bet your fabulous Swedish ass I am." She jumped in to my arms and wrapped her legs around my waist as I caught her. I carried her across the parking lot and through the front door, putting her down only because the reception desk stopped us from walking any further. I kissed her nose and grabbed her hand, lacing my fingers through hers.

"Why, Sookie Stackhouse! I heard you was comin' in today!" A large, round woman got up from a chair behind the reception desk and walked over to us. Her hair was bright platinum blonde, and it was literally six inches higher than the top of her head. She wore enough makeup that I had to assume her primary application tool was a spackling knife, and her nails were bright orange and filed in to dangerous points. I liked her immediately.

"Judy!" Sookie squealed. "It's been too long. How are you?" They hugged one another tightly, and exchanged the usual pleasantries of old friends catching up.

"So, the Judge told me you were getting' hitched. This is the fella, I assume?" She pointed her thumb in my direction.

I stepped forward and shook Judy's hand. "Yes, ma'am, I am. I'm Eric Northman, the luckiest S.O.B. on planet Earth. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sookie and Judy laughed out loud. "Quite the charmer you got yourself here, Sookie. Good lookin' as all get-out, too. I'm sure Adele would have approved." A gentle, loving smile passed across her face as she spoke of her dear old friend.

"Thank you, Judy. It means a lot to me to hear you say that," Sookie said, hugging her again.

"Well, let's get this party started." She walked over to her desk, picked up the receiver of her phone, pushed a button and screamed, "_WILBUR!"_

I looked at Sookie, who simply mouthed, "The judge."

Just then, a short, plump man came huffing around the corner. He was bald, with the exception of three silvery strands of hair carefully combed across the top of his head. "Lord love a duck, Judy, how many times do I have to ask you to stop screaming through the phone?"

Judy just rolled her eyes and said, "Judge, Sookie and her young man are here to see you."

A large, warm smile spread across his beet-red face as he came over to greet us. He took both of Sookie's hands in to his and took a step back, appraising her with his eyes. He stepped forward a moment later and kissed her hands before releasing them. "Darlin' you're a vision. You remind me so much of your grand mamma. How are you, love?"

"I'm very well, Judge Hicknell. Very Happy. Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice," Sookie said.

"Oh, pish-posh. I'd do anything for the Stackhouses. Now, introduce me to this strappin' fella."

"Judge, this is my fiancé, Eric Northman."

I stepped forward and shook his hand.

"Wait, Eric Northman, the famous photographer?" The Judge asked.

"I don't know about 'famous', sir, but yes, I'm a photographer."

"Son, I've got four of your African series prints on my office wall. This is a small town in the middle of nowhere. If I know who you are, and I'm old as dirt, then you are most definitely famous. Come on back to my office. I'll show you."

Sookie gaped at me, her mouth hanging open in surprise. I just shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what to make of it, then grabbed her hand and followed the Judge to his office. Once inside Judge Hicknell's office, we saw that he did indeed have four of my African prints on his wall.

"I first saw these in a National Geographic article on South Africa and was mesmerized by them. I had to go all the way to a gallery in New Orleans to get my hands on these. You're very talented, Mr. Northman."

"Thank you, sir. I'm very glad you like them. South Africa is so lovely, I barely had to do any work at all except point and shoot."

"You're too modest, Mr. Northman," the judge chastised. "You have a wonderful eye for detail. You've fallen for our Sookie, so I know what I'm saying to you is the truth. She's a wonder all of her own."

"You can say that again, sir," I agreed.

"So, shall we get to work, children?" he asked.

Thirty minutes later, Sookie and I walked out of the parish office with a marriage license in our hands. I had taken photographs of Sookie and the Judge signing, then allowed the Judge to take some pictures of me as I signed. Judy took a few of the three of us, and I promised the Judge that I would send him copies…right after I promised him that I would take care of Sookie for the rest of her life, of course.

We spent the next hour running errands. We went to the grocery and liquor stores to get enough supplies for the next few days. We dropped them off back at the house, and while Sookie was putting everything away in the kitchen, I snuck out on the front porch to make a few phone calls. Sookie and I decided to have an impromptu engagement party at the house the following night, but I had something better in mind. It would, however, be a surprise. Even Pam didn't know about it.

Once all of my secret plans had been arranged, I went back in the house to find Sookie. I found her upstairs on the second floor, putting fresh sheets on the bed in one of the guest rooms. She'd arranged a vase of flowers on the dresser and turned on the air conditioning so the room would be cool by the time everyone arrived. We moved on to the second bedroom upstairs, then went downstairs and repeated the process in the second bedroom on the first floor.

"I have to go back in to town for a little while," Sookie said as we were finishing up in the last bedroom. "Will you be alright for a few hours on your own?"

I walked over to her and snaked my arms around her little waist. I nuzzled my face in to her neck, running feathery kisses up and down it.

"What are you up to, my future bride?" I asked in between kisses.

She let out a little moan, and said, "No big secret. I need to have a few alterations done on my dress, and I need to get some shoes and things to go with it. I want to do as little as possible tomorrow, with the exception of spending time with our family. Is that alright with you, buster?"

"Anything you want, darlin'. Just promise you'll come back to me."

"Of course I'll come back to you, silly." She smiled and planted a whopper of a kiss on my lips.

It took a hell of a lot of strength to let her walk out the door, given the physical state of arousal I was in, but I agreed to let her go as long she promised to return with more whipped cream.

_Yes, I'm easy. What can I say?_

When she left, I grabbed my laptop and brought it to the kitchen table, then connected it to my camera. I opened up my photo editing program and got to work cleaning up some of the pictures I'd taken since the first day I'd met Sookie. It was like taking a walk down our seven-day memory lane…seven days that already felt like years of knowing one another.

I picked out my favorites, then began touching them up one by one. Typically, this was a long process, but the truth was, Sookie was so beautiful that she really didn't require much re-touching. The bulk of the work was simply cropping and adding a few fun effects. I preferred my candids to be a bit raw, so I didn't want to overdo it.

My emotions began to carry me away as I sat looking at every moment of our time together. I still couldn't believe my luck. My life had literally been transformed in one week. I was a miserable, brooding prick, and Sookie's innate goodness pulled me out of it. And in less than two days, I was going to be her husband.

I heard the truck pulling in to the drive, and looked up at the clock. It was six o'clock, and I had been working on the pictures for nearly three and a half hours. I had edited over one hundred photos, I noticed with amazement. I uploaded them all to our FTP, then sent an email to my developer with instructions as to how I wanted them processed and framed. I hoped to have them hung in the apartment when we got back.

"A little help out here, please?" Sookie called inside as the front door slammed behind her.

I closed my laptop and walked to the foyer where she stood, weighed down with a garment bag, several shopping bags filled with clothing and shoes, and three large bags from the Piggly Wiggly. I raised a single, questioning eyebrow, looking between the three bags and her face.

"What?" she asked indignantly.

"Whatcha got in the grocery bags, there, Sookie?" I asked as I slowly sauntered towards her.

'You know damn well what's in them, Eric. A promise is a promise. But next time, you get to buy the Piggly Wiggly out of all of their whipped cream. Do you know what kind of looks those people gave me?"

I let out a large, bellowing laugh, then relieved her of the bags. "Sookie, you're the most amazing woman that has ever lived."

"You bet your sweet ass, I am, and don't you forget it. Now bring that stuff in the kitchen and give me a few minutes to put all this stuff away. I'll be right back."

She headed off to the bedroom as I brought every can of whipped topping in the town of Bon Temps to the kitchen and set them in the refrigerator. I chuckled softly to myself, picturing my girl in the grocery store with two dozen cans of Redi-Whip shoved in a cart. She was too much, and my heart practically exploded with happiness.

"So, I talked to Jason and Lafayette," Sookie said as she walked in to the kitchen. "They're coming over here to help me get dinner ready while you pick up Pam, Octavia and Sam."

"Sounds like a good plan. What's for dinner, anyways?" I kissed the tip of her nose, then worked my way down her face and neck.

"Nothing, if you don't stop that right now, Eric."

"Party pooper," I teased.

"I know, I'm sorry," she sighed. "I just want everything to be perfect when they get here. I want to make a good impression." She looked a little worried.

I hugged her tightly, needing to reassure her more than anything. "Sookie, they adored you the second they met you. Everybody does. Please just relax and try to enjoy this. You're _supposed_ to enjoy these next few days, okay?"

"You're right, Eric. Thank you for reminding me of that. You're pretty awesome, you know that?"

"Yep," I admitted.

"And oh, as humble as ever, I see," she smirked. "I love you, Eric. This is going to be an amazing weekend."

I crushed my lips against hers, and when we parted to take a few breaths, I said, "I love you too, Sookie. You have no idea what it does to me to hear you say that out loud. I've never been happier in my life."

We stayed locked together until it was time for me to leave to pick up the gang. I gave her one last quick kiss goodbye before jumping in the pickup and heading towards the airfield.

I pulled in just as the plane was taxiing towards the hangar. I got out of the truck and leaned against the door, waiting for them to disembark.

Pam was first to step out, followed by Sam, who was helping Octavia down the staircase. I was so happy to see all of them, and I knew Sookie was particularly thrilled to have Octavia there.

"Holy Christ, Eric! Is it always this muggy here?" Pam yelled when she was half-way to the truck, fanning herself with a magazine.

"Good to see you too, Pam." I ran up to her, picked her up and spun her around.

"Seriously, Eric, you need to get a grip on yourself. All this sensitive, emo stuff is a little overwhelming for me. Do you think you could try to ease me in to this 'new you' slowly?"

"You got it, sis," I agreed as I put her down. Of course, I kissed her cheek, just to piss her off.

Octavia and Sam walked up, and I went over to the beautiful older woman and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much for coming. Sookie is so happy you could be here."

"Well, I must say, I knew the minute I met you that you two would do this one day, though I didn't quite see it happening so quickly. But if you're happy, and it feels right, then there's no other place in the world I'd rather be than here, supporting you both."

I kissed her cheek and thanked her again before turning my attentions to Sam.

Sam gave me his standard big bear hug. "Congratulations, buddy. I couldn't be happier for you."

"Thanks for being here, Sam, and for agreeing to be my Best Man. You have no idea what it means to me."

"Sure I do. What are best friends for? Now, why don't we load up the truck so you can bring us back to see the little woman?"

Sam and I tossed the luggage in the bed of the truck, then helped Octavia into the front seat. Pam and Sam took the seats in the back. On the way back to the house, I turned to my sister, seeing a look of amusement on her face. I knew exactly what she was thinking, but I planned on beating her to the punch.

"By the way, Pam, thanks so much for getting me this truck. I think I may just trade in the 'Vette and get one of these instead."

I watched her expression in the rear view mirror. Her mouth was hanging open.

"You're bullshitting me," she seethed.

"Of course I am, at least about selling the 'Vette, but I want you to know that your little prank didn't work. I love this truck. I'm going to buy one and keep it here for Sookie and me to use when we visit."

"Un-be-fucking-lievable."

"Language, Pam. We have a lady in the car," I teased.

"Sorry, Octavia. I apologize for my mouth. I'm just trying to figure out what alien life form invaded my brother's body."

"Pam," Octavia began, "It's not aliens, sugar. It's love."

"Huh," Pam replied. "Well, I guess there's no arguing with that."

I took Octavia's hand in mine and gave it a light squeeze. I looked at her and mouthed, "Thank you." She smiled at me and gave my hand a little squeeze in return.

A few minutes later, we turned off onto the driveway.

"Wow! Look at this place!" Sam exclaimed as we pulled up to the house. "I can see why you love it here. It's like something out of a story book."

I parked the truck, then helped Octavia out of the seat and up the stairs of the front porch. Pam and Sam followed, and when we opened the front door, the smell of barbecue wafted under our noses.

Octavia grinned. "I know that smell. That's Adele's secret recipe. Prepare yourselves for one hell of a meal, kids."

Sookie, Jason and Lafayette came running out of the kitchen to greet us. The three of them practically tackled Octavia, and I realized it had probably been a very long time since Jason and Lafayette had seen her. She fawned over them as if they were her own sons, mussing their hair and peppering their cheeks with kisses.

Sookie walked up to Pam and pulled her in to a hug. I smiled, watching my sister visibly tense and then relax in Sookie's arms. "Thank you for…Jesus, Pam, everything. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."

Pam laughed and pointed her thumb at me saying, "Just keep Oscar the Grouch over here happy and out of my hair. That's all I ask."

"You've got yourself a deal."

She then turned her attention to Sam, who picked her up off the ground, spinning her around in one of his trademark hugs. "Congratulations, sweetheart. Welcome to the family."

She was laughing hysterically, and I loved seeing her so happy. "Glad to see you haven't changed a bit in seven days, Sam."

When he put her down, Sookie motioned to Jason and Lafayette to move closer to her. "Pam, Sam, this is my brother Jason, and my dear friend, Lafayette. Jason, Lafayette, this is Eric's sister Pam, and his best friend Sam."

Jason, Pam and Sam exchanged handshakes and pleasantries, and then Lafayette stepped forward wearing the usual red spandex shorts, a black tank top with red rhinestones spelling out "Be my Bitch" and black Chuck Taylor's.

"So, you're the sexy straight best friend, and you're the lesbian sister," he drawled, looking back and forth between them.

"And you must be the lycra-wearing queen who's performing the ceremony. Charmed, I'm sure." Pam said with a heavy dose of the usual bitchiness in her voice.

Lafayette cracked a smile and shook his head. "Girl, you is _fierce_. We're gonna be good friends." He wrapped his arm in to hers, walking her in towards the living room. He stopped for a moment and looked back at Sam, then towards me. "Eric, chere, you sure he straight?"

"Sorry, Lafayette. Straight as an arrow."

He shook his head, clucked his tongue, then looked at my sister and said, "Damn, now that's a cryin' shame. Come, sugar, lets you and me go somewhere and get to know each other."

Pam and Lafayette left us all standing in the foyer, staring at Sam. "Now, why do I get the impression I was just eye-fucked by a man in red spandex?" Sam asked.

"Because you were," Octavia deadpanned.

Well that did it. We were all one ass-backward, happy family.

After the laughter in the foyer subsided, Sam, Jason and I went out to the truck to carry in the luggage, while Sookie and Octavia went in to kitchen to work on dinner. When all the suitcases were brought to the appropriate guest rooms, I ushered Sam and Jason out to the front porch and asked them if they wanted a beer. I walked to the kitchen where Sookie and Octavia were hard at work, stopping to give them both a kiss on the cheek before grabbing the beers out of the fridge. They both had smiles on their faces, and I felt a surge of love pushed in my direction.

Back out on the porch, I handed Sam and Jason their beers, and we toasted to Sookie.

"I've never seen you look so happy, Eric. Am I correct?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I can't explain it. She's everything to me. She makes me want to be a better man. I'm completely fucked, aren't I?" I joked.

"Yes, I do believe you are," Sam said, smiling widely.

"If it makes you feel any better," Jason began, "I've never seen my sister so happy, either. She's a good girl, and I don't know anyone in the world who deserves this more than her. I see the way you look at her, Eric. I know you'll do right by her."

I reached my hand out to shake his, and instead, he pulled me in to a hug. "Hell, we're gonna be brothers. Might as well," he said. He patted me on the back before releasing me.

"Thank you for saying that, Jason. It's important to me that you know how much I love her."

Sam started laughing, and Jason and I turned to face him.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You two are behaving like a couple of girls. You gonna braid each others hair next? Paint each others toes?" Sam asked.

What is a guy supposed to do when his manhood is challenged? Like any other self-respecting macho-man, I handed my beer to Jason and tackled Sam. We wrestled for a few minutes, laughing our asses off so much that we didn't hear the front door slam.

"As much as I'd like to sit here all night watchin' you boys wrestle," Lafayette cooed, "Sookie sent me out here to tell you that dinner's ready. Go wash up and get your sweet asses inside, pronto." He turned around and sashayed inside, adding just a little more jiggle to his wiggle than really necessary. I was pretty sure it was all for Sam's benefit.

"Is he always like that?" Sam asked Jason.

"Nope. He's usually worse. But I think he's sweet on you, so he's trying to be nice." Jason slammed his beer back and walked inside.

Sam just stared at me for a minute. "He's kidding about that, right?"

"Sorry, Sam, I think you're well and truly fucked," I said with a grin on my face. I saw Sam shake his head before I walked in the door and made my way to the kitchen.

"Holy Mary, mother of God, Sookie! Just how many people are we planning on feeding tonight?" I asked.

The table extension has been attached to accommodate the seven of us, and in the center was a feast. There were plates of barbecued ribs and pulled pork, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, collard greens and cornbread spread throughout the middle. It was unbelievable. She was unbelievable.

Sookie sighed. "I know. I went a little overboard. I just wanted everyone's first night here to be memorable."

I reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards me. I gave her a gentle kiss and said, "It's amazing, Sookie. Thank you."

"Well, dig in everyone," Sookie demanded with a wave of her hands. "There's no standing on ceremony in this house."

Dinner was wonderful, as I'd expected. We all got along like old friends. Pam and Lafayette were plotting something, whispering to each another throughout the meal, and I was pretty sure they'd found soul mates in one another. Well, soul mates that didn't fuck each other, but soul mates nonetheless. Sam and Jason got along famously, and talked about sports and cars. Sookie and Octavia discussed some issues they needed to address at the center. And me? I just sat there, taking in the sight my family, awed by the palpable feeling of love in the room.

When it was time for dessert and coffee, I helped Sookie clear the plates from the table and bring them to the sink. She was pouring the coffee in to a large decanter, and I came up behind her and hugged her back to my chest.

"Do you have any idea how happy you make me, Sookie?" I whispered, placing a kiss on her cheek.

She relaxed back in to me, pulling my arms even tighter around her waist. "If it's even half as much as I'm feeling right now, then I'd say you're very happy."

"Sookie, should we tell them about our plans for Jacob?" I quietly asked.

"I don't see why not," she said.

We stood like that for several minutes, basking in our happiness, before grudgingly heading back to the table with the pecan pie and coffee in tow.

After everyone had their dessert and coffee, I grabbed some champagne glasses from the cabinet and pulled a bottle out of the refrigerator. I popped the cork and poured, then handed a glass to everyone.

"I'd like to thank you all for being here. It's so important to both of us that the people we love most in the world are here with us for the wedding. But there's one very important person that, for reasons beyond our control, can't be here this weekend, and Sookie and I want to acknowledge him."

Everyone was looking back and forth between each other, confusion sweeping across their faces.

"Sookie, do you want to tell them, or should I?" I asked, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"Go ahead, Eric. I may not be able to get through with it without crying," she said.

"Okay, here goes, gang. The person that's missing is a beautiful little boy named Jacob." Recognition flashed across Pam and Octavia's faces, and I heard a small whimper escape Sookie's lips. I squeezed her hand tightly. "But we hope this is the only important occasion in our lives he'll ever have to miss, because when we get back to New York, we plan on beginning the process of adopting him. Pam, you're going be an aunt, and Jason, Sam and Lafayette, you're going to be uncles. Octavia, how do you feel about being a grandma?"

Everyone went silent for a moment, seemingly absorbing the news. Then Octavia practically yelped with excitement, and she and Pam were out of their chairs in a flash, hugging and kissing us both. Our family raised their glasses and toasted our good fortune, and I wondered if life could ever get any better than it was in that moment.

Somehow, though, I knew it could.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"What the hell was that?" I jumped out of bed and ran toward the sound of the crash. Sookie mumbled, but didn't wake.

I heard a long, shrill whistle when I reached the back porch, and I turned to find Lafayette hanging from the branch of a tree.

"God damn, Sookie is one lucky bitch. You lookin' very sexy this morning, sugar."

It probably wasn't the best idea to run outside in my underwear, but I hadn't exactly had time to think about putting pants on. "Lafayette, what in the hell are you doing in that tree at eight in the damn morning?"

"I'm on lighting duty, or at least I was until the damned ladder fell over. That sister of yours is one demanding dyke. She's got all of us workin' our fingers to the bone today."

I sighed and shook my head. Of course Pam would be the drill sergeant. I put my hands on my hips and started laughing at the thought of my darling sister ordering everyone around. At least Sam and I were used to it. I made a mental note to talk to Jason and Octavia about it later. The last thing I needed was pissed off "in-laws."

"Uh, Eric darlin'?" Lafayette cooed from atop his branch. "A little help here?"

"Right. Sorry," I said, walking over to reset the ladder against the tree.

Lafayette made his way down, swaying his ass as he went with more shimmy than I deemed necessary.

"Sorry about my sister, Lafayette. I know she can be a little bossy and high-handed, but she really does mean well."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, chere. I'm happy to do it. But do me a favor and try to keep Sookie out of the back yard today, okay, lover?"

"No problem. I can definitely do that," I agreed.

"I'm sure you can, you sexy boy. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Lafayette teased.

"I suppose that means I have plenty of options, then?" I shot right back at him.

"Oh, boy, you too much! I must be rubbin' off on you!" he shrieked, grinning widely. He grabbed another strand of white paper lights and started back up the ladder.

"Really, Lafayette. Thank you for everything. I'm so glad you're here. You'll be sure to be here for dinner at eight tonight?"

"Of course, darlin'. I'll be here with bells on."

"Oh, I believe that." I winked at him and then turned and walked back in to the house, chuckling the whole way.

I made my way back to the bedroom and watched Sookie sleeping peacefully for a few minutes before heading to the shower. When I'd cleaned myself up, I went back to the bedroom to put on some clothes. I bent over the dresser, digging for fresh boxers, when a pillow crashed in to my now naked ass. I heard a giggle behind me, and looked to see Sookie kneeling on the bed. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know…she was in the mood to play.

"Mrs. Almost-Northman, did you just throw a pillow at my ass?" I inched closer, biding my time before I pounced.

"Why, yes, I believe I did. I woke up alone, and I wasn't very happy about it. I just thought you should know." She stuck out her lower lip, pouting beautifully.

_Seriously, was she trying to kill me?_

"Now honey, realistically, you know there will be days we won't be able to wake up together, right?" I asked, inching closer.

"Oh, I know…I just didn't expect one of those days to be the day before my wedding."

_Ouch. That hurt._

"What if I told you it was for a good cause?" I moved an inch, then two closer.

"What could possibly be a better cause than making your bride-to-be happy right before her wedding?" She bent forward and was now down on all fours at the foot of the bed.

_Fuuuuuck…_

"Well, beautiful girl, it seems I had to save a spandex-wearing queen from falling out of a tree. I'm certain you wouldn't want to spend the day before your wedding in the emergency room with your best friend, correct?" I was almost there…

"Nope. Still not an acceptable excuse," she countered stubbornly.

"What would you have me do to make it up to you, my love?" I pleaded. One more inch…

"Come here and I'll whisper it in your ear," she said breathily. Well holy hell, she didn't need to tell me twice. I picked her up and playfully tossed her back on the bed, lowering my face to hers and kissing her hungrily.

"Tell me, Sookie, what can I do?" I begged playfully through our kisses.

I felt her reach an arm over to the bedside table and open the drawer. She pulled out a large manila envelope and handed it to me.

_Hmm…wasn't expecting that._

"Well, for starters, you can open this," she smiled.

"Sookie, what is this?" I asked, confused.

"It's your wedding present, silly. Now open it." She played with my hair, idly wrapping her fingers around it while my head rested on her chest.

I propped myself up and stared at the envelope, wondering what it could possibly be. I slid my finger under the seal and ripped it open. I pulled out a thick stack of papers, and I nearly choked when I looked at the first page.

"Sookie, no! This is yours. I cannot take this," I exclaimed. The papers in the envelope were legal documents stating that I owned the farm house with Sookie. Once I signed them, of course.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," she said with a grin. "Besides, I'm only giving you half. You've given me so much already, and I have nothing else to offer you. I wanted you to know how much everything you've done means to me. I knew this was the best way to go about it."

"Sookie, this is your family home." I couldn't wrap my brain around the magnitude of this.

"And you're my family now. I want us to always come here together, and I want this to be a place we'll bring Jacob as he grows up. You're my other half, Eric. Why shouldn't you have this? Just say yes, baby." She brushed her fingers across my cheek.

"When did you…" I began, but couldn't seem to form any further words.

"Yesterday. I stopped at my attorney's office in town and had him draw these up while I went shopping," she stated.

I don't know how long I sat staring at her. She had changed my life. Changed me. Made me better…made me whole. And now she's giving me a house…giving me the rights to her haven. I didn't know people could be that selfless, but here she was, offering me her entire life. I vowed to myself that I would work every day to prove to her that I was worthy of that kind of gift.

"Okay, Sookie. Yes," I said, crashing my mouth to hers. "I love you Sookie, so, so much. You're everything to me. This is the most amazing thing that anyone has ever done for me." And for the next two hours or so, I showed her my gratitude. Over and over again.

Sookie and I didn't get out of bed until nearly eleven that morning. There was still a lot to do before dinner that night, and Pam was all too happy to tell us about it as we walked hand in hand into the kitchen.

"Well, hello there, lovebirds. Glad you could get your hands off of each other long enough to realize that we actually have a wedding to put on tomorrow." She was sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by her battle gear…her laptop, her iPhone and a large cup of coffee.

"Nice to see you, too, Pam," I said, smiling and kissing the top of her head.

'Where are Sam and Octavia?" Sookie asked.

"I sent them off on missions of vital importance to the wedding," Pam replied. "But let's not talk about that right now. I need to ask you something. Sookie, darling, I have no idea what kind of power you have over him, but would you care to share some with me? I'm sure I'd find it quite useful while we're working."

"Pam, for putting all of this together, I'd give you my first born if you asked for it," Sookie said as she poured us two cups of coffee.

Pam and I sat there staring at each other. I knew she was reading my mind. Visions of Sookie with a round belly, pregnant with my child flashed before my eyes. To be honest, it was the first time I'd really thought about us having children of our own. I was so wrapped up in her, in Jacob, in the wedding…it just hadn't hit me until then.

Sookie was staring at us with more than a little concern showing on her face. "What? What did I say, you two?"

"I think my brother just realized that the two of you would potentially breed one day. Am I right, Eric?"

_Well, of course we would!_ I thought.

How ridiculous of me not to even think about it before. "Yes, Pam, that one did sort of sneak up on me. With all that's been happening, it sort of, well, just didn't register in my brain." I looked at Sookie's face, and I didn't like what I saw one bit. She was misreading the conversation, and I needed to rectify it, pronto.

I jumped out of my chair and bound over to her, pulling her in to my arms. "Don't get the wrong idea, Sookie, please. Just because I hadn't thought of it yet doesn't mean that I don't want it. This had all just been so overwhelming…and then with Jacob…I just didn't think. Baby, I'll have twenty kids with you if you want them. Just make sure they are all as sweet as beautiful as you, okay?"

"It's alright, Eric," she said in to my shoulder. "I should have brought it up before. It's a conversation we need to have, but it can wait, as long as I know you want to have more than just Jake."

"I want whatever will make you happy, Sookie. Always." I took her face in my hands, feathering kisses over every inch of it.

"Seriously, you two. I'm gonna hurl if you don't knock that saccharine shit off right now," Pam grumbled.

I could feel Sookie's chest rumble with laughter against mine. She gave me one last kiss before pulling back and walking towards Pam. She leaned over and kissed my sister on the cheek and said, "Auntie Pam, you're going to have to learn to watch your mouth around our little ones some day soon." She walked out of the kitchen, but not before giving Pam a very sexy wink over her shoulder.

"Bullshit!" Pam called after her. "That's what earmuffs are for!"

I heard Sookie laughing all the way down the hall to the bedroom as I took a seat next to Pam at the table.

"Christ on a cracker, Eric. If you don't take care of that one, you bet your ass I will. She's luscious with a capital F-U-C-K-M-E," Pam said.

"Don't you worry about that, Pam. I have no intention of letting that one get away. She's the most amazing person I've ever met."

"Truth, Eric?" Pam asked.

"Shoot," I replied.

"I thought you were off your rocker for going through with this so soon, but after seeing you two together last night, and seeing the change in you…well, don't tell anyone I said this, but I'm jealous. You've got a good thing going here, and it makes me want what you so obviously have in droves. I'll cut off your balls if you tell anyone what I just said, but I want you to know that I'm very happy for you."

"Don't worry, Pam," I chuckled, kissing her cheek. "I won't tell. You're sappy secret is safe with me. Now, let's get to work, shall we? We have a wedding to pull off."

An hour later, the doorbell rang and I got up from the table to answer it. A FedEx courier stood on the porch with a stack of boxes at his feet. "Delivery for a Ms. Stackhouse. Please sign here."

I took the electronic tablet from the man and signed, "Susannah Northman," smiling to myself when I noticed how god damned good those two names looked together. I had the delivery man carry the boxes inside the foyer, then thanked him and showed him out.

"Sookie, you have a delivery," I yelled towards the bedroom.

She ran out of the bedroom wearing nothing but two towels…one covering her hair, the other barely covering everything else. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. I would never stop being amazed at how smoking hot my future bride was.

_Sorry, I'm a guy, after all. Can't be helped. _

"Sookie, you do know that if my sister sees you in this, she's going to want to arm wrestle me for you, right?" I asked.

"Why do you think I wore it?" she teased.

Jesus, she would be the death of me one day. She confirms that fact nearly every minute, simply with her presence.

"What's all this?" she asked. "I didn't order anything."

"No," I said, grabbing her hips and pulling her toward me. "But I did." I kissed the tip of her nose.

"What are you up to?" She cocked one eye brow, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Oh, just some things I thought you'd need for the dinner party tonight. You can have all of these now…except for these two." I snatched the two smallest boxes off the top, having already figured out from their labels that they were my wedding gifts to her. "These you don't get until tonight."

I heard my sister in groan in the background. I looked over to see her watching us intently from the doorway to the kitchen.

"Sookie, what part of 'Pam is a lesbian' do you not understand? Please go put some clothing on before I have to tackle my own sister."

"Oh, Pam, stop ogling my wife, will you?" I jibed.

Sookie giggled, grabbed one of the boxes and ran down the hall. "Sorry, Pam, you're going to be my sister now. You're just going to have to get used to it," she said as she went.

Pam just shook her head and turned to go back in to the kitchen. I grabbed the rest of the boxes and brought them to our bedroom. When I walked in, I heard Sookie gasp.

She turned to me, pointed to the large box on the bed and said, "Eric, this box says Vera Wang. That one says Jimmy Choo. What did you do?"

Well, why don't you open them and see?" I asked.

She turned back to the largest box and opened it. I heard her inhale deeply as she ran her fingers gently across the delicate silk fabric of the dress inside. She lifted it from the box and walked over to the full length mirror, holding it up in front of her. I knew the dress was the right choice the moment I saw it. The blue brought out her eyes beautifully, and the cut of it would fit her body perfectly. It was also just whimsical enough to suit her personal style. I couldn't wait to see her in it.

"Eric, I've never owned anything so lovely. It's…I don't have the words," she said. "It must have been so expensive. Really, Eric, you shouldn't have."

"Wait a second," I began. "You can give me half of your house, but I can't buy you a dress to wear for your own engagement party? That seems slightly illogical if you ask me."

I walked over to her and slipped my arms around her waist so that we were looking at our reflection in the mirror. "It would make me very happy if you'll wear this and the contents of all the other boxes for me tonight." I placed a kiss on her cheek and rested my head on her shoulder.

She turned to face me and hugged herself to me tightly. "Thank you, Eric. I love it. Of course I'll wear it for you."

"Good. Now that we've settled that issue, why don't you open up the rest of the boxes?"

Sookie gave me one of her trademark giggles, melting me all over again, and returned her attention to the rest of the packages. I sat on the bed as she opened the box that contained the charcoal satin Jimmy Choo's next and practically squealed. She tried them on, and I immediately decided that she should be made to strap on stilettos every time she was dressed in nothing but a bath towel.

I handed her the next box with a wiggle of my eyebrows. This would be, by far, one of my favorite gifts to her. I was hoping, selfishly, of course, for an early fashion show. She pulled out the frilly blue Strumpet & Pink panties and I thought I would die if I actually saw her in them.

"Should I try them on now?" she cooed and gave me a lingering kiss.

"That was the original game plan, but now I think we'd better wait until later tonight. Otherwise, we might never make it to our own engagement party."

She straddled my legs, kissed me deeply and said, "Buddy, as it stands now, we may not make it in time for our own wedding. I have some serious appreciation to show you at the moment."

_Well, hell, I can't wait to see what happens after I give you the rest of your gifts tonight_, I thought.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"What exactly did you have in mind as far as 'appreciation', Sookie?" I asked, running my hands along her hips. She was straddling my waist in nothing but a towel, and things were getting rather painful just sitting there, stuck in my pants. I thought I'd explode if I wasn't inside her…soon. She'd already made quick work of removing my shirt, and now she was working her way down further.

"Well, we need to make the most of this, because it'll be the last time until we'll be alone together until after the wedding. I figured that was a good jumping-off point." She ran a finger down from my neck to the top of my jeans, resting her hand on the zipper. She was teasing me, and I was in agony.

"What are you talking about, Sookie?" I asked, gripping the soft flesh of her hips tighter.

"I'm talking about traditions, silly. I'm a good southern girl, and I follow them. After the party, you're going to stay at Lafayette's." She kissed her way down my chest, taking one nipple between her lips, then another, while unbuttoning my pants and lowering the zipper. She ran her tongue along the top of my boxers, and I nearly lost it right then and there. It was torture. Exquisite and amazing, but torture nonetheless.

"You've got to be kidding me, baby. You're planning to show me your gratitude by fucking me senseless and then passing me off to a drag queen?"

"It sounds much crueler when you say it out loud like that, but yes, that's pretty much an accurate assessment," she said, the corners of her lips curling up in to a sly smile.

She pulled my jeans and boxers down roughly, sliding down the bed as she removed them from me. She kissed my thighs and ran her tongue along my aching erection as she made her way back up to straddle me again.

You can't leave me alone with him. He'll eat me alive." My hips were bucking forward as she continued to torment me with her mouth. "I want to stay here with you. Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm not joking, Eric. I take this very seriously. It's bad luck to spend the night before the wedding together. But I'm going to try to make it up to you before it even happens. So just be quiet and let me say thank you."

She pulled her towel open and tossed it across the room, exposing her perfect breasts. She kissed me furiously and then rose up on her knees, placing herself over me. When she slid her body on to mine, I cried out. The strength of her muscles clenching around me combined with the wet warmth inside her overwhelmed my senses.

Every ascent and descent of her of her body on to mine was met with words of gratitude from her lips.

_Thank you for the shoes…_

_Thank you for the dress…_

_Thank you for the panties…_

_Thank you for the photographs…_

_Thank you for my ring…_

_Thank you for bringing me here…_

_Thank you for these amazing days we've shared…_

_Thank you for Jacob…_

_Thank you for loving me…_

_Thank you for wanting to marry me…_

Her breathing grew ragged as she edged towards her climax. I couldn't control myself any longer. I rose from the bed, taking her in my arms and laying her down against it. It was my turn to share my words with her, to tell her what she meant to me. As I buried myself in her over and over again, every word whispered was a vow made to her…

_I never want to be apart from you…_

_You've given my life purpose again…_

_You're everything I want…_

_I will always need you desperately…_

_I will take care of you and our family…_

_I will give you anything and everything you could ever want…_

_I will always, always love you…_

_Tomorrow is just the beginning…_

As those last few words spilled from my lips, we fell over the edge together – bliss love and happiness rolling off of us in waves. Exhausted, I dropped in to her arms and laid my head upon her chest. When I could finally breathe again, I rose up on my elbows to look at her. She was twisting locks of my hair with her fingers.

"Jesus, Sookie…what was that? I've never felt anything like it before in my life." My chest was heaving.

"It was love, baby," she replied. Her beautiful lips curved in to a wicked grin, then said, "And of course, a little bit of gratitude." She winked at me, and gave me her best Sookie giggle.

We laid there for some time, holding each other, talking and making plans for the future. It was so easy with her. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that we were making the right decisions, and that we were making them happily together.

After a while, Sookie grew restless.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked.

"I still have so much to do today, but all I really want to do is stay here in bed with you." She sighed, and I couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was when she pouted.

"Sookie, you don't have to do anything today except get up and get dressed before the party." I ran my fingers soothingly through her hair.

"Eric, I have to start getting dinner prepared for tonight, and we have to get the back yard ready for tomorrow." She looked thoroughly distressed.

"Baby, have you not listened to a word I've said to you since we started planning this? There is absolutely nothing for you to do today or tomorrow except show up. Our family has it all under control. Everything that needs to be done is being handled as we speak."

"Everything? Really?"

"Yes. Everything. And I am under strict orders to keep you occupied while the troops take care of business. So, what do you say? Do you think you could hang out in bed with me all day?" I wiggled my eyebrows at her and gave her my best 'come on over here and do me' smile.

"I've never spent a whole day in bed. What on earth would we do?" She gave me a devilish grin.

"Ah, I love the smell of sexual innuendo in the morning," I teased, winking at her. "We do whatever we want. The possibilities are endless."

"Well, then, Mr. Northman, what shall we do first?" she asked.

"Stay right here. I have an idea," I jumped out of bed, throwing on my jeans before I ran out to the foyer to grab my camera bag.

When I came back to the bedroom, I tossed the bag on the foot of the bed, took my jeans off and climbed back in with her. She had one eyebrow cocked, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"Get your head out of the gutter, woman. I'm not planning on a naughty photo session."

I reached in to the bag and pulled out one of the trashy romance novels I'd taken from her apartment before we left New York. "Yes, this looks good. '_The Pirate and His Lusty Lady Lover'_. A classic, if I do say so myself."

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she saw what was in my hand, and I almost fell out of the bed because I was laughing so hard.

"Eric Northman, where did you get that? Did you steal that from my apartment?"

"Guilty as charged," I proudly replied.

"What exactly were you planning on doing with it?" She asked.

"I had absolutely no idea, but I do now. I'm going to read it to you. Come here."

I propped a few pillows against the headboard and sat against them, motioning for her to lean back against my chest. She gave me an incredulous glance for a moment before complying with my wishes. I wrapped my arms around her and opened the book to the first page.

We were on page fifty-two of the book when I finally couldn't take it anymore. "Sookie, do you really enjoy reading this crap?"

"I thought I did. But hearing it read out loud…it really does kind of suck, doesn't it?" She was giggling softly, and I could feel her body shaking against my chest.

"What in the world does one possibly get out of this drivel?" I asked.

"Well, if I really thought about it, I suppose I needed the romance in it, even if it was totally cheesy. It's not as if I had much of it – any of it, for that matter – in my life before I met you."

I shook my head, understanding what she meant. I'd had no romance in my life either, and I hadn't even realized it until I crashed in to her on the street. I couldn't imagine living without it now.

I tossed the book on the floor and pulled her tightly to me. "If it's romance you want Sookie, I promise you'll have it every day." I rained kisses all over her cheeks and neck.

I could feel her face pull in to a broad smile against my cheek. "Why, Mr. Northman, I do believe I feel your throbbing member against my back."

"Roll over, woman, and let me see your breasts heave for me."

We were shaking with laughter, but damn it if I didn't end up plundering my lusty lady lover in the end. Several times, in fact.

We had been so wrapped up in loving each other all day that we hadn't noticed it was now almost fully dark outside. A knock at the bedroom door pulled us back into the present.

"Sorry to interrupt the all-day sex fest, kids, but your engagement party is starting in an hour. Get your asses out of bed." Ah, Pam. She's got a gift for eloquence, that one.

"Hold your horses, Pam. We'll be there on time," I shouted through the door.

"Don't you get testy with me, shit head. We didn't fly all the way out here to listen to your moans of passion all day. Some of us would like to spend some time with the both of you. Now move it!" We heard her muttering under her breath as she walked down the hallway.

"We've been pretty selfish holing ourselves up in here all day, haven't we?" Sookie asked.

"I suppose we have. Shall we get in the shower and get ready?" I kissed her gently, taking her lower lip between my teeth and gently nipping at it.

After showering, Sookie kicked me out of the bathroom so she could finish putting herself together. I got dressed and left the room, making my way outside to inspect the back yard. As I walked though the kitchen, I noticed Sam was completely engrossed with the chef that was preparing our engagement dinner.

"Hiya, Sam, whatcha doin'?" I knew that look on his face. He was sitting on top of the counter and when he looked up at me, he knew he'd been caught.

"Hey Eric, this is Daphne." While she wasn't Sookie, I could see what Sam found attractive about her. She was lovely. "Daphne is the chef that Pam hired for tonight and tomorrow. She owns her own restaurant in Shreveport."

Daphne walked over to me and extended her hand to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Northman. Congratulations."

"The pleasure is all mine, and please, call me Eric. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I hope we haven't inconvenienced you too much by pulling you away from your restaurant on a busy weekend."

"Well, your sister can be very persuasive, Eric. But no, it's no inconvenience at all. I'm happy to be here."

Sam was grinning like a kid in a candy store. He liked her. Well, I'm nothing if not a great wing man, so I said, "Daphne, I hope you will stay and join us for the party. The more the merrier."

"Thank you. I think I'd enjoy that very much. I'm afraid I don't have anything to wear, though. All I have are work clothes." She looked at Sam, then down to her shoes, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"I'm pretty sure we can fix that situation," I said. "Let me take a look outside, and then I'll ask my fiancé if she can come up with something." I winked at Sam and clapped him on the shoulder as I walked out the door.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out over the back yard from the porch. It was everything I'd wanted for Sookie and more. White paper lights were strung from the trees, casting a soft glow over the yard. Lanterns lit a walkway down to a large white tent. The table was covered with silky linens, and the elegant china and flatware shimmered in the light of the dozens of candles lit on top. Small glass globes filled with tiny, perfect white roses were scattered everywhere. Another lantern-lit path led away from the tent to a small dance floor set atop the grass. Pillars of fabric wrapped in white roses stood in each corner. Music came flowing out from somewhere, but I couldn't find the source. It was breathtaking.

Pam came up beside me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "What do you think? Will Sookie like it?"

I pulled her in to my arms, hugging her tightly. "She's going to love it, Pam. It's perfect. I don't even know how to thank you. I have no words…"

"Shhh, big brother. You're welcome. I know I can be a real bitch some times, but you do know I'm thrilled for you, right?"

"I know you are."

"Besides, all of this gives me hope," she said.

"How so?" I asked.

"Honey, if that girl can bring your cold, dead heart back to life, it means there might be someone out there who can do the same for me."

"I love you, Pamela."

"I love you, too. Now quit it with the sappiness and go get you're girl. Dinner is just about ready."

I hugged her one last time and made my way back to the house.

Sookie was standing in front of the full-length mirror when I entered the bedroom. I couldn't move when she turned to look at me. I didn't know it was possible for her to look any more beautiful.

"Sookie, you're…I mean…I…wow. Just, wow."

The dress fit her perfectly, as if it were made specifically for every curve of her body. Her hair was pinned up to expose her neck and the low cut of the dress. The shoes made her tanned legs look long and lean. This wasn't even her wedding dress, and I was already done for. I knew I'd be a wreck the next day.

"Thank you for this, Eric. I feel like a princess," she said.

"You certainly look like one. But something is missing," I replied.

"What? Did I forget something?" She looked slightly panicked, checking herself again in the mirror.

"No, baby. You didn't forget anything. I did." I led her to the bed and said, "Please, sit."

I walked over to the dresser, pulled a small package out of the top drawer and carried it over to her. Her eyes grew wider as she recognized the signature blue box. There wasn't a woman alive who didn't know what they were getting when they saw that color.

"Oh, Eric," was all she said.

I opened it for her to reveal the diamond bracelet within, and I saw her eyes well up with tears. I took the bracelet out of its box and asked her to hold out her wrist so I could put it on her.

"I know this might be a bit more than you're used to wearing, but I couldn't help myself. I knew it would go beautifully with your ring."

I offered her my hand and pulled her up from the bed, walking her over to the mirror. I stood behind her and put my arms around her waist. "There. Now you're perfect."

We stood together for several minutes, staring at our reflections and enjoying the happiness of the moment.

"Are you ready to head out to the party, baby?" I whispered to her.

She turned in my arms and kissed my deeply. "I'd rather stay in here with you, but I guess we should get out there."

"Oh, Sookie, one more thing. Looks like Sam found himself a date. Do you have anything pretty for her to wear tonight? She didn't want to wear her chef's coat to the party."

"Wait. What? How'd I miss that?" she asked in astonishment.

"Baby, apparently, a lot has happened since we've been in here all day. Sam being smitten with the chef Pam hired is just one of those things. Her name is Daphne. Can we give her something to wear so she can stay and get to know Sam?"

"Wow. Seems like love is in the air today, huh?" she asked. "Send her back here. I'll make sure she looks great for him. I'll meet you outside."

"I love you, Sookie. More than anything. I'll see you out there." I kissed her ring and went to find Sam's girl. Love really was in the air that night.

Daphne was putting the finishing touches on the platters when I entered the kitchen. Sam looked as if he was trying to help, but it seemed to me he was just getting in her way.

"Daphne," I said. "Why don't you let Sam and I take these outside? Sookie is in the bedroom down the hall, and she's got something for you to change in to. Please join us when you're ready."

Sam beamed at me. Like I said, I'm a great wing man.

Daphne blushed again. "Thank you, Eric. I'll be out soon."

She looked at Sam, and I knew without a doubt that a connection had been made. "Are you sure you don't mind taking these outside?" she asked him.

"Not at all. Go on. Have some girl time. We'll see you soon," Sam said.

Daphne left us to get dressed, and I picked up a platter and handed it to Sam. "You're fucked. You know that, right?" I asked him.

"Completely." He sighed and let out a long whistle. "C'mon. Let's get this stuff on the table. I need a drink."

Everyone was in the tent waiting for us. After putting the food on the table, I said hello to Lafayette, Jason and Pam.

"Where's Sookie?" Jason asked.

"She'll be out in a few minutes. She's helping Sam's date get ready," I replied.

"Whoo, boy, you New York City boys work fast! Let me guess. It's that fine-looking chef, isn't it?" Lafayette exclaimed.

Sam and I looked at each other and broke out laughing.

"You bet your spandex-covered ass it is, Lafayette!" Sam said.

We heard the porch door open, and Daphne walked out, a vision in a long, gauzy navy dress and strappy sandals. Her brown hair fell down in waves around her shoulders. I looked at Sam and heard his breath hitch. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Oh, you are so very fucked," I whispered to him. He didn't answer, because he was halfway across the lawn, offering her his arm.

"God damn," Jason said. "Do you think she's got a sister?"

"Screw you, pretty boy," Pam hissed. "If she does, I get first dibs."

"Someone needs to find out if she's got a brother, too," Lafayette said.

Pam and I completely cracked up. We were already one, big crazy family alright.

When Daphne and Sam reached the tent, she looked at me and said, "Sookie will be out in a second. That's one lovely woman you have, Eric. You're a lucky man."

"I'd say a few of us here are lucky tonight, right Sam?"

He smiled at me and said, "Damn right, I am."

I walked up the path and met Sookie as she came out on to the porch. She stopped, unable to move a muscle, and I could tell she was taking it all in. She placed her hand over her heart, and her chest heaved.

"It's…Oh, my god, Eric…it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Tears fell from her eyes, and I could see the happiness in her face.

I offered her my hand, and she took it, allowing me to escort her to the tent.

She hugged and kissed everyone, and then asked us all to sit down so she could propose a toast.

"I'm at a loss for words here, and for those of you that know me well, you know that doesn't happen often. But I want you all to know that I love you, and that I'm so grateful for all you've done to make these few days so special for me and Eric. I've never seen anything so gorgeous – okay, except for Eric – in all my life. I'm in awe of what you've done for us. I am looking forward to a lifetime of making happy memories with all of you." She raised her champagne glass in the air and said, "To our family."

We all toasted with her, and I stood up to pull her in to a hug. Flatware began to clink against glassware, and I looked at her and grinned. I dipped her backwards and laid a deep kiss on her lips.

When I pulled her back up, we noticed Octavia was standing. "Eric, Sookie, we all have a gift for you, but I need to go back inside to get it. I'll be right back. Will you wait for me before you begin dinner?"

"Of course, Octavia," Sookie said. "We'll be right here."

Octavia left the table, and Sookie and I looked at each other, wondering what was going on. A few minutes later, Octavia opened the back door with her gift to us…holding his hand.

"Jacob!" Sookie screamed, running from the table to him. She picked him up and swung his little body around, planting kisses all over his beaming face.

"Surprise!" Jacob yelled as he waived his arms wildly in the air.

My head was spinning. I saw the extra setting at the table, but I assumed it was an oversight. "How…When?" was all I could get out. Tears were falling from my eyes as I hugged her.

"He got here a little over an hour ago and we sneaked him upstairs," Olivia said. "I had to pull a lot of strings, but we have an excellent relationship with the OCFS. We had to get special permission from them and get a care worker to fly here with him. One will be flying back home with us on Sunday, too. You should thank your sister, though. Pam lined up all the travel arrangements, and paid for everything. That woman is a force to be reckoned with. But Eric, I suggest that none of us mention anything to him about your intentions to adopt him right now. I don't want to think about the possibility of anything going wrong, but we can't get his hopes up, okay?"

"I understand. I'll make sure no one says a word about it. Octavia, outside of meeting Sookie, this is the greatest gift I've ever been given." I kissed her and hugged her tightly, then went to Sookie and Jacob.

"Eric!" Jacob exclaimed. He leaned out of Sookie's arms and into mine. His little arms hugged my neck, and I held him tightly against my chest. I kissed the top of Sookie's head, and then turned to face my sister, mouthing the words, "Thank you." Pam hands were covering her mouth, and I saw tears in her eyes.

"Hiya, Just Jake," I said.

Jacob pulled back from the hug and said, "You're still silly, Eric."

"Yep, you're right. I am," I grabbed Sookie's hand and carried Jake to the dinner table. "Everyone, this is Jacob, but he likes to be called Jake. Jake, do you remember my sister Pam?"

He nodded. "You're a lepspian."

The entire table burst in to laughter as champagne flew out of Lafayette's nose. Jake giggled, and it reminded me of Sookie. "Jake, this is Miss Sookie's very good friend Lafayette."

"Well, hello there, little man. Nice to meet you," Lafayette said, shaking his hand.

"You're wearing lipstick," Jacob noted.

The rest of the night went by in a blur. Sookie glowed with happiness, and I focused my attentions solely on her and Jacob. We ate, we laughed, we danced…we were a family, and it was the happiest night of my life. Pamela had taken over as the official photographer and was snapping away. When Octavia rose from the table saying that she needed to put Jacob to bed, I felt the string around my heart – the one I knew was attached to Jacob's – pull, and I felt a tiny bit of sadness that I wouldn't see him again until the morning.

"Good night everybody. Miss Octavia says I need to go to bed so I can be extra good at my job tomorrow," Jake said to all of us.

"What job is that, chere?" Lafayette asked.

"I've got to give Eric and Sookie rings," he stated proudly.

Everyone laughed and kissed him good night. When he and Octavia were safely out of earshot, I said, "So, you were all in on this, huh?"

They all looked around the table at one another, before Daphne spoke up. "Don't look at me! I'm just here for the food."

"You're really going to try to adopt him?" Sam asked.

"Yes, we really are." I reached for Sookie's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"He's wonderful," Jason said. "I'd be proud to call him my nephew."

"That makes two of us," Pam said, clinking her glass against his.

I heard a slow song begin to play. Sookie had a dreamy look on her face, and I wanted nothing more than to pull her to me and hold her.

"Dance with me, Sookie?" I asked.

"Absolutely." She took my hand, and I led her to the dance floor. I wrapped her little body in to mine as we slowly moved in time with the music.

"I can't believe he's here," I said.

"I don't know how they pulled it off, but I'm so glad they did. I really wanted him here tomorrow," she whispered in to my chest.

"We'll have him all the time soon enough, Sookie." She raised her face to meet mine, and I kissed the tears away.

We were quiet for a while, enjoying the feel of our bodies moving as one. I heard a soft giggle, and felt Sookie's chest rumble against mine.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"I was just thinking that I know you still have one more present to give me and that my heart might give out if one more amazing thing happens tonight."

I thought about my final gift and smiled. It could wait. "Well, we wouldn't want that happening. Besides, I think Octavia should be there when I give it to you. We can do it tomorrow."

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Lafayette standing next to us. "I hate to be a party pooper, but this little girl needs to get her beauty rest. She's got herself a big day tomorrow. And besides, I can't wait to get you home with me, sugar."

I looked at Sookie, pleading with her with my eyes. _Help me…_

"Lafayette's right," she agreed. "We should all get some sleep."

She winked at me, knowing full well she'd be paying for this traitorous behavior the following night.

"Fine. But can I have five minutes to say good night to my fiancé?" I asked.

"Make it four, lover. I'll be waiting for you by the car." He walked away, returning to say his goodbyes to our guests.

"I'm going to miss you tonight," I grumbled. "I haven't slept without you for a week, and I won't like being away from you one bit."

"I'm going to miss you, too, baby. But think of all the fun we're going to have tomorrow." She wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I knew that I was beat.

"Kiss me goodbye, baby. Make it one that will last until I see you tomorrow," I begged.

She stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. "I love you, Eric, and the next time I see you, I'll be saying yes to being your wife," she said through breathless kisses.

Whistles and catcalls came from the table, and she and I laughed as we pulled our lips apart.

After I'd said goodbye to Jason, Pam, Sam and Daphne, I kissed Sookie once more. "I love you, Sookie. I'll see you tomorrow." I kissed her hand and walked across the lawn to Lafayette's car.

I turned one last time to wave, and saw Pam with her arm around Sookie, and caught Sam giving Daphne a peck on the cheek.

"C'mon, chere, time to take you home," Lafayette teased. He opened the car door for me like a perfect gentleman, and I climbed in the passenger seat.

"Go easy on me tonight, okay?" I pleaded.

"Easy's my middle name, baby. Don't you worry, now. Lafayette's gonna take good care of you."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," I replied as we pulled out of the driveway and drove off in to the night.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"C'mon, sugar. We've got a wedding to get you to. Sookie'll kill me if I get you there late." Lafayette was banging on the bathroom door, and frankly, annoying the shit out of me. I was still nursing my hangover from the previous evening's tequila-fest.

"Lafayette, it's your fault I'm moving so slowly today. If she gets pissed at me for being late, it'll be on your head, not mine," I growled through the door.

"Hey, I just supplied the Jesus Juice, baby. I didn't bring it to your lips and force you to drink."

Fuck. He was right. I finished tossing the rest of my stuff in to the garment bags and opened the door. I was greeted by a giant cup of coffee which I eagerly took from Lafayette's outstretched hands. "Christ, I need this. Thanks." I took a large gulp and looked at him.

"Lafayette, what are you wearing?" I asked once I had finally taken a good look at him.

"What? You've never seen a man in a suit before?" he asked. He was wearing a crisp cream-colored linen suit with soft blue button-down shirt and a pair of expensive-looking brown loafers.

"Of course I have, smartass. I just didn't expect to see one on you today."

"Sweetheart, it's your wedding day. Spandex is hardly appropriate. Even I have my limits," he offered, giving me a little twirl, allowing me to take in the complete ensemble.

"You look great, L," I complimented.

"You're not looking too shabby yourself. We could almost be Twinkies." Pam had chosen a lightweight summery white suit with notched lapels and flat-front trousers. My shirt was a soft shimmering gray button-down. I finished it off with a black belt and black Italian leather shoes. "You could be on the cover of GQ right now. Go on with your fine-ass self!"

"Thanks," I replied, slightly embarrassed. "Ready to get this show on the road, reverend?" I asked.

"Absofuckinlutely, hallelujah and amen!" Lafayette exclaimed.

We drove back to Sookie's – well, technically, I guess it was "our" house, parking in the front. Everyone was there, but I really only wanted to see Sookie. I had spent far too much time away from her already, and I was getting antsy.

"Where is she?" I asked Pam as we walked in the front door.

"She's finishing getting ready. Be patient, you big ox. Go out in back. Everyone else is either out there or will be shortly. I'll tell you when it's time," she snapped at me. "Oh, and don't freak, but I hired a local photographer to take pictures during the ceremony. I'm awesome, but I can't be the Maid of Honor and the head picture taker at the same time."

"Pam, I'm so happy, you could call me a shit head for the rest of the day and it wouldn't even put a dent in my good mood," I replied.

"I'll remember you said that later. Now get on out there, shit head." She shooed me along before turning to Lafayette. "Lafayette, can you help me in here a minute?"

"Sure, darlin'," he replied, and then called after me. "I'll see you at the altar, lover!"

I faked a little shiver, and then smiled while giving him a thumbs up. I followed Pam's directions and walked through the kitchen and stepped outside. The backyard was basically set up the same as the previous evening, however, the walkways that had been illuminated with lanterns were now lined with thousands of flowers on top of beautiful white fabric runners. More flowers were placed in the trees and bushes, and I felt as if I'd stepped in to our very own Garden of Eden. Pam. That woman really knew how to work miracles.

"Eric!" Jacob yelled, leaving Octavia's side to run to me. I bent down, and when he reached me, I scooped him up in my arms and pulled him in to a hug. He pulled out of our embrace a short time later and placed his hands on either side of my face.

"Where were you, Eric? You've been gone too long!" he said sweetly and I felt a lump rise in my throat. Hadn't I dreamed of this, or at least something close to it? That's when I knew beyond a shadow of the doubt that everything that had happened over the past week was fate bringing us together. We were supposed to be a family. My heart practically exploded out of my chest with love.

"I'm sorry, Jake. I had to spend the night at Lafayette's house," I said, staring in to his bright, smiling eyes.

"That's the lipstick man, right? Why did you have to stay there instead of with us?" he asked, and my chest shook with laughter.

"Yes, you're right. He is the lipstick man. I had to have a sleepover because it's a tradition. Do you know what that word means?"

He shook his head and stared at me, silently asking me to explain.

"It's something people do to make special occasions even more special. Do you understand that?"

"Like me bringing you a ring to give to Miss Sookie?" he questioned.

"Exactly like that, Jake." God, there was no end to how amazing that child was. "Have you seen Miss Sookie yet this morning?" I asked.

He nodded vigorously. "She made me Mickey Mouse pancakes. I've never had those before. She put lots of whipped cream on them."

I let out a snort, thinking of all the cans of Redi-Whip still in the refrigerator. "Well, that was very nice of her. I'm jealous. She's never made those for me. You must be very special."

"That's what she told me," he stated emphatically, a large smile still plastered across his face.

"So, are you all set to do your job? It's very important that you help us. We can't get married without you," I asked, trying to figure how much he understood about what was happening today.

"I am. Aunt Pam and Miss Octavia gave me a little pillow to carry, and it's got the rings tied on to them. I'm supposed to walk down the white line and bring them to you."

"Sounds to me like we picked the right guy for the job. We're very lucky to have you." I couldn't believe he was calling my sister Aunt Pam, but I loved the sound of it.

"Eric? What does married mean?"

"It means that Miss Sookie and I love each other, and that we want to live together and start a family," I replied, not sure if I was answering him in a way his six year-old mind could grasp.

A cloud of sadness crossed his beautiful face, and I knew I'd said something wrong, though I couldn't fathom what that was.

"What's wrong, buddy?" I asked.

"I don't have a family," he stated quietly.

_Fuck. How could I make this right without getting his hopes up?_

"Sure you do, Jake," I began. "You will always have us in your life. You're very important to us. You know that, right?"

He nodded, but the look of sadness was still there.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck,_ I thought.

"Jake, I'll make you a promise, okay? Miss Sookie and I will do everything we can to spend as much time with you as possible. There are grown up things we have to do that you won't understand before we can make that happen, but I promise you we'll try. Do you believe me?" I was nearly beside myself. I didn't want to give him any indication of our plans, but seeing him so upset nearly killed me.

"Can I have sleepovers at your house?" he asked.

"We'll do our very best to try, okay?" was all I could say.

"Okay, I believe you," he stated, and then hugged me with as much strength as his little arms could muster. I knew I'd give anything to feel this way for the rest of our lives. He had to be my son. He was born to be mine. I felt it with every fiber of my being, and I would stop at nothing to make it happen.

I carried him to where Jason, Sam, Daphne and Octavia were standing near the makeshift dance floor. I shook Jason and Sam's hands, and kissed both women on the cheek.

"You ready for this, Northman?" Sam asked, smiling from ear to ear. He must have had a good night with Daphne. It was written all over his face.

"More than ready, Sam. I'm so excited, I'm bursting at the seams," I replied.

Just then, Pam called out from the back porch and yelled, "Places, everyone!"

I placed Jacob on the ground. "Ok, Jake, it's show time. Go get the pillow from Aunt Pam and make me proud."

I kissed his cheek, and pointed him in the direction of the porch. He took off running towards my sister, and I felt a surge of pride like I'd never know before.

_My son…My son…My son…_

Jason walked to the house and went inside, no doubt to claim Sookie for their walk down the aisle. Lafayette came out through the back door and made his way to the center of the dance floor, motioning for me to stand in front of him and to his left. Octavia and Daphne stood further back and to Lafayette's right, and Sam picked up his guitar and sat on a chair directly next to Lafayette. Pam stepped forward and Sam began to play.

_**I don't know you, but I want you all the more for that…**_

Pam made her way down the aisle, stopping half way to turn and motion for Jacob to follow her. She reached me and hugged me tightly before moving to her place.

_**Words fall through me and always fool me and I can't react…**_

Jacob walked forward, beaming, holding the pillow in his hands. Pride swelled in me once again, and my heart ached to have him near me. He came to stand at my side, and I gave him a wink, telling him silently that he'd done his job well.

_**And games that never amount to more than they're meant will play themselves out…**_

I looked up from Jacob to the porch, where Sookie was now standing, anchored to her brother's arm. All the air escaped my chest, and a sob rose in my throat. She stood next to Jason, her arm locked in his, in a long, strapless white satin dress, and she looked like my own personal angel. I couldn't hold back the tears as she began walking toward me. The sight of her was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

_**Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time…**_

She was smiling through what I could tell were happy tears. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her face. My home, my everything was coming to me.

_**Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice, you'll make it now…**_

She was no more than a few feet away from me, her eyes locked on mine. I knew I would remember that moment forever.

_**Falling slowly, eyes that know me and I can't go back…**_

Time slowed to a near stop. All I could focus on was her. In my mind, I could clearly see our future. I pictured every day, every moment we would spend together.

_**Moods that take me and erase me, and I'm painted black…**_

Suddenly, she was standing before me and then Jason kissed her cheek before turning to shake my hand.

_**You have suffered enough and warred with yourself, it's time that you won…**_

Jason took her hand and placed it in mine, then went to stand next to Octavia and Daphne. We turned together to face Sam as he finished the song.

_**Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time.**_

_**Raise your hopeful voice, you had a choice,**_

_**You've made it now.**_

_**Falling slowly, sing your melody.**_

_**I'll sing along.**_

When he was done, Sam rose from his chair and placed his guitar on the seat. He walked over to us, kissed Sookie on the cheek and then shook my hand before standing next to me. We all turned to face Lafayette, who was smiling broadly at us.

"Friends, we're here today to celebrate the joining of Eric and Susannah in marriage. I speak for all of us when I say we have been blessed to have you in our lives, and that this wedding brings us more joy than we can possibly explain. The love you found in one another has created this wonderful family, and we will be here to care for and support you all the days of your life. So, what do you say we make this official? Please face each other and join hands."

Sookie handed her bouquet to Pam and we turned to face one another. When she placed her other hand in mine, a small sob rose up from her chest.

I winked at her and mouthed, "I love you," earning me a brilliant smile in return.

"Eric," Lafayette began, "Will you promise to take care of this crazy girl, to love her and give her the family she has always wanted? Will you support her with your strength, and share her dreams with her? Will you respect her, and honor her for as long as you both live?"

"I will." I gripped her hands tightly so that when I replied, she could feel how much I meant those words.

"And Sookie, will you promise to take care of this fine-ass man, to love him and give him a family? Will you support him with your strength, and share his dreams with him? Will you respect him, and honor him for as long as you both live?"

She never took her eyes off of me when she responded. "I will."

"Little man," Lafayette said as he turned his attention to Jacob. "Time for you to bring me the rings."

Jacob puffed out his chest, proudly walked to Lafayette and raised the pillow to his hands. Sookie and I shared a giggle as Lafayette removed the rings from the ribbons and handed one of the rings to Jacob.

"Now, give this one to Eric."

He turned and reached up to hand Sookie's ring to me. I bent forward and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Jake. I'm very proud of you." He beamed back at me, looking very pleased with himself.

"Eric, please place the ring on Sookie's finger," Lafayette directed.

I smiled at her as I held her hand and slid the platinum band on her finger. "Sookie, my whole world changed the moment you came crashing in to my life. I was broken, and your love brought me back to life. There aren't enough words to tell you how much I love you. I could tell you a thousand times a day for the rest of our lives and it still would never be enough. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make you feel cherished and loved for as long as my heart is beating, because in the end, it belongs to you. It always has, and it always will."

Lafayette winked at me and said, "Damn, boy, that was good!"

Octavia snickered, but looked to him and said, "Lafayette…" in mock admonishment.

"Ok, ok, moving on. Jake," he said, looking down to him. "You're up again. Please give this ring to Sookie."

Jacob turned to Sookie and lifted the ring to her hand. She bent down and took him in her arms. "I love you, Jacob. Thank you." She kissed him and then stood up to face me again.

"Sookie, please place the ring on Eric's finger," Lafayette said.

Her hands were trembling as she placed the band on my finger, and her tears were falling freely as she spoke. "Eric, I am the happiest I have ever been in my life, and I owe all of it to you. The love you've shown me gives me so much hope for a future I never even knew was possible until you came along. My heart is full of joy, so much so that I feel that it may burst at any moment. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being you. I'm yours, for now and always."

"Okay, that was pretty damned good, too!" Lafayette exclaimed, smiling at Sookie. Jason gave him a little swat on the shoulder. "Ouch! What? Well, it was!"

"Lafayette," I chastized, stifling the laughter that was building. "Do you think you could get to the part where I kiss her? I haven't seen her all day, and I really, _really_ want to kiss her." Sookie grinned widely at me, and I could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"Alright, alright. I see what y'all are getting at. Okay, by the power vested in me by the World Wide Web and the great state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. No go on and lay one on her, sugar."

I took Sookie in my arms, pressed my lips against hers and kissed her with all the strength I had in my body. I don't know how long we stood there. The world around us melted away, and in that moment, there was only the two of us, silently promising our love and devotion to one another in the single most important kiss of our lives. It wasn't until I felt a tug at my pant leg that I remembered that we weren't alone.

I looked down to find Jacob standing in front of me and I picked him up, thrilled that my family, though not yet complete, was together on the happiest day of my life.

"Lafayette told me I had to say something," he said to me and Sookie, looking ten different kinds of serious.

"Fire away, Jake. Everyone's listening," I stated, laughter rumbling through my chest at his eagerness.

He raised his arms over his head and screamed, "Everybody…Eric and Sookie are married!"

Everyone burst in to laughter, but for me, that moment was the most precious event to happen that day. To hear those words, the ones that meant everything to me, spoken from his lips…I almost couldn't bear the happiness that coursed through my body. Sookie and I were married. It was real, and Jacob was here with us. Tears spilled out of my eyes, and my chest began to heave.

"Don't cry, Eric," Jacob said, looking more concerned than any six year-old should ever have to be.

I hugged him tightly to my chest, and said, "These are happy tears, Jake. Some day, when you find a girl you love, you'll understand. I promise."

He didn't look convinced, but a smile returned to his face. "No way, girls are gross," he said.

Everyone began clapping and whistling, and we hugged and kissed them all, thanking them for being with us on the most special day of our lives.

I placed Jake on the ground asked everyone if I could have a moment alone with Sookie, and then took my wife's - _My wife's! - _hand and led her inside through the kitchen where Daphne's staff was working and in to the living room. I pulled her to me and kissed her for all I was worth.

"Why, I do believe you missed me, Mr. Northman," Sookie giggled.

"Mrs. Northman, you have no idea how much," I replied.

"Say it again," she whispered.

"Mrs. Northman."

"Oh, god, I love the way that sounds," She groaned against my lips as she melted in to me.

"Well, I'd hope so, since you're stuck with it for the rest of your life," I grinned. "We're going to the DMV first thing Monday morning to get your license changed."

"I'm so happy, Eric. I didn't know I could be this happy. I love you so much."

I picked her up and swung her around. "I've told you before and I'll say it again…this is only the beginning. I'm going to give you everything, Sookie. You mean the world to me. Now tell me something. Where did you get this amazing dress?"

I held her hand out and spun her around to get a closer look. I put my hand on her hip, the satin of the dress soft on my fingertips.

"It was my mother's. Gran kept it all these years for me."

"You've never looked more beautiful, Sookie. My eyes hurt just looking at you."

She put her head against my chest and a wave of contentment passed between us.

We stood there holding each other for several minutes before Pam stuck her head though the door frame from the kitchen. "Hey shit head! Get yourself and your lovely bride outside right now. There's a party out here, and if you haven't already noticed, it's in your honor."

"Why is she calling you a shit head?" Sookie asked, giggling.

"I told her I was so happy that she could call me that all day and it wouldn't even faze me. You know her. She's not one to back down from a challenge."

"So, I suppose we should get back out there, huh?"

"I suppose so. But can I have another kiss from my wife first?" I begged.

"You keep calling me your wife and you'll get a lot more than kisses," she said, moving in to my arms and kissing me deeply. When we finally came up to take a breath, she took my hand and began to lead me towards the kitchen.

I noticed Sam was sitting on a chair at the dance floor, and he waved us over to him. "I have a little wedding gift for the two of you. I was hoping I could play you a song for your first dance."

Sookie stepped forward and snaked her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Sam, I would love nothing more. Thank you."

I gave him a "why didn't I know about this?" look, but he simply grinned and mouthed, "Don't worry."

Everyone stood on the edges of the dance floor, watching as I took Sookie in my arms as Sam began to play. I recognized the first few notes, and one of her hands flew to her mouth as the realization hit her.

"Eric, it's the song from the park. How did he know?" Tears spilled from her eyes at the memory of our dance together the very first night we'd met.

"I must have told him about it. I'll remember every word of that song for the rest of my life," I said, pulling her even tighter in to my embrace.

I looked over to Sam and mouthed a "thank you" to him. He nodded and gave me a wink. While we moved in time to the music, I looked around us to our family and caught sight of Jacob. As amazing as it felt to hold Sookie in my arms, I knew it wouldn't be complete, not nearly complete without Jacob.

"_**Now it overflows like a river through my soul…"**_

"Sookie," I said.

"Shhh…she replied. I understand. Go get him." She kissed me, and could feel her watching me as I went to Jacob. I took him in my arms and brought him back to Sookie. We wrapped our arms around him and finished our dance as a family.

_**God gave me you to show me what's real.  
There's more to life than just how I feel.  
And all that I'm worth is right before my eyes.  
And all that I live for though I didn't know why.  
Now I do, 'cause God gave me you.**_

As Sam finished the final notes of the song, I took Sookie's hand and walked her off the dance floor with Jacob in my arms. The world was perfect in that moment. I saw and felt nothing but love flowing all around me, and I was complete…whole.

The rest of the day was spent with our family, eating, hugging, laughing and enjoying each other. The requisite toasts were made by our loved ones telling one horribly embarrassing story after another about us. We cut the cake and shoved the first piece in Jacob's face. We danced and drank champagne, and before we knew it, the sun was setting. Candles and lanterns were lit, and the magic of the previous evening in our back yard returned.

I needed to give Sookie her final present, and decided to I wanted her to have it before we opened another bottle of champagne. I stood from the table and cleared my throat.

"Everyone, can I have your attention, please?" Conversations hushed as they all turned to look at me.

"Thanks. I just wanted to give Sookie her last wedding present." I took a box and an envelope out of my jacket pocket and placed in front of her on the table.

"Eric, you've given me so much already. I don't know how much more happiness I can take." She looked up at me, and I saw tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Shhh...Sookie. I promise, you're going to like this, okay?" I rubbed her shoulder before handing her the box. "Here. Open this one first."

She lifted the top off the box and pulled out a set of keys from inside, then looked at me, confused about what they were for.

"Eric?"

"Well, seeing as how you are now my wife, and I have absolutely no intention of allowing you to drive that deathtrap we've dubbed 'The Beast'…"

"I'll drink to that!" Pam said, chugging her champagne. I looked at her, and she said, "Sorry, I'll shut up now."

"As I was saying, I thought the best thing to do was get the center a new vehicle. That key is for a fifteen passenger van that now belongs to you."

She looked at me with disbelief, then looked at the box again, realizing there were another set of keys still in it. "Eric? What…?"

I grabbed the second set and handed them to Octavia. "These are yours. I got you one too. Well, technically, they both belong to Adele's House, but I figured that with two vans at your disposal, you could do a heck of a lot more for the kids now."

Both Sookie and Octavia looked back and forth between one another, utter disbelief passing across their faces.

"There's more," I said.

"More?" they gasped in unison.

"Open the envelope, Sookie," I said, smiling at my wife's confused yet beautiful face.

She opened the envelope with trembling hands and pulled out the piece of paper that was inside it. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out as her hand flew up to it. After several moments, she had collected herself and said, "Eric…this is a check for two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars made out to Adele's House. Are you serious?"

"Completely serious, love, and there's more where that came from. Everything that's mine is yours. You're my wife, my family, and therefore by extension, so is everyone at Adele's House. Whenever you need it, I will be there to support you in whatever way I can."

Sookie pushed her chair back from the table and threw herself in to my arms. "I don't know what to say…I can't believe…"

"Just tell me you love me. That's all I'll ever need to hear." I kissed the top of her head as she continued to hug me.

"I love you, Eric. You, this…it's more than I ever dared to dream of."

We heard the tinkling of flatware against glass and knew that we had to oblige our guests. I took her face in my hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Jacob. Earmuffs!" Jake complied as Pam shouted, "Quit being such a pussy and lay one on her!"

I chuckled and gave Sookie a "Should we give them a show?" look, and she nodded. I crashed my mouth against hers and wove my fingers through her hair. Our tongues danced, and we exaggeratedly moaned aloud through our giggles. If it was a show they wanted, a show they would get.

"Eew, gross!" Jacob shouted, and dove under the table.

"I feel the same way about kissing girls, little man," Lafayette agreed.

"Oh, I don't know, kissing girls seems pretty nice to me," Sam said before planting one on Daphne's lips.

"I'm with you, Sam. Kissing girls is nice!" Pam exclaimed.

Sookie was doubled over with laughter. "Need I remind you all there's a six year-old here? Can we hold off on the inappropriate conversations until after he's gone to bed?"

"Sugar, he's one of us now. He's gonna have to get used to it sooner or later. Ain't nothin' normal about this family."

"I suppose you're right, Lafayette," I chuckled. "But how about we indoctrinate him in to the madness slowly?"

As our night was coming to an end, we said our thank yous and goodbyes and made plans to get to the airport late the following afternoon. At some point during the evening, Sam had made arrangements to stay at Daphne's house, and Octavia decided that she would be staying with Lafayette. That left just me, Sookie and Jacob to spend our first night together as a family. I was overjoyed, to say the least.

With the last of our guests and Daphne's staff gone, I picked Jacob up from where he'd fallen asleep under the table, grabbed Sookie by the hand and led them into the house. We brought Jake into the spare bedroom across the hall from ours, changed him into his pajamas and tucked him in. As we walked out, we stopped in the doorway for a moment, watching him sleep while we held each other.

"I can't wait until we can do this every night with him," Sookie sighed, wrapping her arms tighter around my waist.

"Me either. Look at him. He's perfect," I said. My emotions were overwhelmed, and I could no longer contain them. "This has been the best day of my life, Sookie. I love you so much, and I promise you, I'll do whatever it takes to make him ours."

"I know you will, baby," she replied and rose up on the tips of her toes to kiss me.

"C'mon," she said, grabbing my hand and closing the door to Jacob's room. "Let's let him sleep. We have him all day tomorrow. Right now, I want to go in to our room and make love to my husband."

I picked her up and carried her across the hall and over the threshold of the bedroom door, closing it behind us with my foot.

"I hope that boy sleeps like the dead, Mrs. Northman, because I have every intention of making love to my wife all night."

"I told you what would happen if you kept calling me that," Sookie teased as I put her down and she inched backwards towards the bed.

"_Oh, yes, I remember. Wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife…"_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

I was exhausted. I honestly didn't know what time Sookie and I finally fell asleep, but we did enough marriage consummating to last us through at least the next two or three vow renewals. I woke up to the sounds of little fists pounding on our bedroom door. Jacob called out to us, and I was grateful, then, that Sookie reminded me to put a pair of pants on before passing out. Nothing says, "Not fit to adopt a child." like a guy sporting morning wood as he opens the door to a sleepy six year-old. I was really going to have to start paying attention to those kinds of things.. Thank god I had Sookie to remind me.

My lovely wife stirred at the sound off Jacob's call, snuggling in to me. "What time is it, baby?" she asked while running lazy kisses along my neck.

I looked over to the alarm clock. "Six-thirty," I replied, stifling a groan. Another hour of sleep would have been helpful, at the very least. And maybe another hour of making love to Sookie, I thought.

"We'd better let him in," she giggled.

I sighed and kissed her deeply before I called out to him through the door. "It's open, buddy. Come on in."

I saw the door knob turn and the door open slowly. It seemed he was feeling us out, making sure it was okay to join us in something as intimate as family time in the morning. It was new to him, too, after all. He peeked his head around the corner, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw him. That string tied between us tugged at my heart again, and I just wanted him next to me.

"Its okay, Jake. Really. Come here." I smiled at him and patted the comforter, letting him know that his presence was welcome. He began to run towards us and launched himself on the bed, landing with a thud in front of me.

"Hi!" He grinned as I pulled him up and set him down between me and Sookie. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and I mussed his hair with my free hand.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked.

"Good," he said. "I'm hungry. Can we have more Mickey Mouse pancakes?"

"Of course you can, sweetie," Sookie replied. "Just let me brush my teeth and I'll go make them for you."

I leaned over and kissed her. "No, Sookie. Take your time. I'm pretty sure I can manage mouse ears. We need some man time, right Jake?"

"Yay!" he screamed as he rose to jump up and down on the bed. I supposed the noisiness of a six year-old was something I'd need to adjust to.

"Thanks, Eric. I'll be out in a little bit. Make the coffee extra-strong, please?" Sookie asked, looking more than a little tired. I couldn't say it wasn't I huge turn-on. I had exhausted her. Well, me and Eric, Jr., that is.

"No sweat," I said as I slid out of bed. I picked Jacob up and put him on my shoulders. "Duck when we get to the door, kiddo. I don't want to take you back home with a goose egg on your forehead." I heard Sookie laughing as we walked down the hall to the kitchen.

I sat Jake down on the counter and began pulling out the ingredients for our breakfast, measuring everything in to separate bowls and setting them down next to him. "Ok, Jake, start putting all that in to the mixing bowl. You and I are going to make Miss Sookie breakfast."

He carefully tossed in the flour and other ingredients I'd given him while I pulled some sausages and fresh fruit out of the refrigerator. I started the coffee while he stirred his creation, and then I set the table.

"Are you all set to add the most important ingredient?" I asked.

He looked at me quizzically when I pulled the bag of chocolate chips out from behind my back.

"What? You don't like chocolate?" I asked.

"Ms. Mary doesn't allow me to have chocolate in the morning. She says it makes me crazy all day."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, today is a special day, and you can go as crazy as you want. So what do you say? Chocolate Chip Mickey Mouse pancakes?"

"Yes!" he squealed, making a fist and pulling it in tightly to his side, an adorable gesture of victory.

"What's this all about?" Sookie asked as she walked in to the kitchen.

"We're making chocolate chip pancakes!" Jacob exclaimed while launching himself off the counter in to Sookie's waiting arms. She kissed his cheek and nuzzled her nose in to his neck. He squealed, making both Sookie and I stop in our tracks.

"He's ticklish, eh?" I asked, one eyebrow cocked.

"Apparently, he is," she agreed, grinning.

"Where else do you think he's ticklish?" I walked over to the two of them and poked my finger in Jake's side.

"What about here?" He squirmed and squealed again before wriggling out of Sookie's arms and pealing off down the hallway, screaming all the way.

Sookie wrapped her arms around me and rubbed my back. "This is so much fun. I wish we didn't have to leave today." She rested her face against my chest and sighed.

"I know, Sookie. I feel the same way. But look at it this way…the sooner we get home, the sooner we can get to work on making this arrangement official. Then we can do this every day if we want to." I kissed the top of her head and then pulled out of our embrace so I could get her a cup of coffee.

Jacob padded back in to the room and took a seat at the table, gulping down a glass of milk. Sookie sat down next to him, and I finished breakfast.

"Alright, who wants pancakes?" I asked. I turned to my wife and…_oh my god - son_…and both of them giggled, each raising a hand in the air. I plopped a Mickey head on each of their plates, then served myself and walked back to the table.

"Whipped cream, Sookie?" I asked, winking at her. She blushed a deep shade of red.

"Yes, please," she replied, shaking her head and chuckling softly.

"Jake?" I asked.

He nodded vigorously.

"Well, you must like whipped cream as much as Sookie does, Jake." I didn't think it was possible, but her blush deepened. I couldn't help it. Visions of Sookie covered in the stuff flashed before my eyes and I stifled a groan, knowing I couldn't do jack shit about it at the moment.

We spent the next hour or so talking to Jake, asking him about his friends and favorite things to do. Sookie had a pretty good start on me in the information department, seeing as how she'd known him for a few years already, so I needed to catch up - _**fast**_. He went on and on about his love of all things Yankees, his dislike of a bully named Billy that was in his class, and how much he wanted a dog. I filed all of this away in my brain for future reference. I'd have to get season tickets to the Yankees next year, and I considered finding this Billy's dad and kicking his ass for creating a little shit of a son. I'd need to talk to Sookie about the dog situation, but I was game if she was.

After breakfast, Sookie shooed us both out of the kitchen, stating that since we'd cooked, she'd do the cleanup. I wasn't going to argue. We'd made a pretty good mess.

"Well, what do you say, Jake? Should we brush our teeth and get dressed? I bet we could find a ball around here somewhere. We could go outside for a while."

"I love playing catch!" Jake replied.

I kissed Sookie, and she grinned up at me. I wished I knew what she was thinking, and resolved to ask her on the plane home.

"Have fun, you two. I'm sure some of Jason's old balls and gloves are out in the storage shed."

Fresh-breathed and fully dressed, Jake and I went out in to the back yard to toss a ball around. He wasn't a natural, and his hands were still too tiny for the glove he wore, but the kid had heart, and you could see the determination in his eyes. He was a fighter. After every shitty thing that had happened to him in his young life, he was still a smiling, well-adjusted child. I felt the now-familiar tug around my heart, and said a silent prayer to who ever was listening in gratitude for Jacob's presence in my life.

Some time later, Jason and Lafayette pulled up in front of the house, and the whole gang unloaded out of the cars. Sam and Daphne hadn't arrived yet, but I was sure they were spending as much quality time together as they could before we had to leave. I laughed to myself as I though about the two of them. It seemed my chance meeting with Sookie would change their lives as well. I hoped so, at least. Sam was my dearest friend, and I wanted him to feel as loved as I did. Nothing in the world could compare to feeling the love of a beautiful woman.

"Catch, Jason!" Jake yelled as he hurled the ball towards him.

The ball connected squarely with Jason's balls, effectively taking him down to the ground. I choked back a laugh as I stared, wide-eyed, at Jake. It shouldn't be funny seeing my brother-in-law getting nailed in the nuts by a six year-old, but damn it, it was. Apparently, Pam and Lafayette thought so too, because they were laughing their asses off. Only Octavia kept quiet, choosing instead to walk over to Jason and help him up.

When Jason caught his breath, he looked over to Jacob and wheezed out, "Good arm, kid."

Jake gave him a lopsided grin and then ran over to Pam, where he promptly jumped up in to her arms. "Aunt Pam!" he cried out and threw his arms around her neck.

She hugged him, and when I caught her eye, she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. The beast had been tamed by a little boy and we both knew it. I was going to be able to taunt her with that forever.

"Can you guys keep an eye on Jake for a while? I'm going to run inside and see if I can help Sookie pack up."

"No worries, sugar. We'll see if we can't get Jake to toss another ball, this time at your sister's big old sack," Lafayette quipped. I snorted out a laugh, mostly because I knew it was true. Pam had bigger balls than most men I knew.

I found Sookie in our bedroom packing our bags that were set atop the bed. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She melted in to me, and it took me a minute to realize that she was shaking a little. I grabbed her cheek with my hand and turned her head to the side. There were tears on her face.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked.

"I'm just being emotional," She said. "This whole past week has been so amazing, and I'm scared to go back to New York."

I pulled her tightly into me. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm scared that the real world will get in the way, and we'll lose some of the intimacy we've found here. I'm scared that I'm going to wake up and realize that this was all a dream."

I turned her around in my arms and cupped her tear-covered face in my hands. "Sookie, love, it will be different when we get back, but nothing bad is going to happen. We'll settle in to our place, we'll work on adopting Jake, and we'll build our life together. If anything, it's only going to get better, okay?" I kissed her then, trying desperately to sooth her frayed emotions with my lips.

"Okay." She nodded, her lips still on mine.

"Now, tell me what I can do to help you," I said, hugging her tightly.

"You can keep holding me for a few more minutes. That would help a lot."

"No sweat, Mrs. Northman," I said as I held my wife in my arms.

A few hours later, Sam and Daphne made it back to the house and we all sat down for our last meal together. It was bittersweet, knowing that we wouldn't be seeing Lafayette and Jason for a while, and I felt awful that Sam would have to leave Daphne behind. I hoped that they'd made plans to see each other again very soon. Those people had quickly become my family, and I wanted them around me all the time. I resolved to talk Sookie in to coming back here with everyone as often as we possibly could.

After lunch, we packed up the rest of our belongings, and I went in to the kitchen to clean out the refrigerator. I grabbed an empty box from the porch and loaded all the leftover cans of Redi-Whip in to it, then called out to Lafayette.

"Yes, chere?" he responded while sashaying in to the kitchen.

"This is for you," I said, handing him the box.

He raised one perfectly manicured eyebrow at me and grinned. "Now, darlin', why you givin' this to me?"

"Because I know you're the only person here who'll get good use out of it," I smirked, winking at him.

"Ooh, you's a naughty boy, Eric Northman!" he squealed as he took the box from my hands. "I know exactly what I'll be using this for."

"Uh, you can keep that part to yourself, L," I teased.

"Prude," he snapped.

"Damn skippy," I replied.

"Can I say something to you, chere?" he asked, his expression turning suddenly serious. He put the box on the table and squared his shoulders.

"Of course, Lafayette. We're family. You can say anything to me."

"I wanted to thank you for this wonderful week. Seeing Sookie here, and knowing how happy she is, well, it's been amazing. I know you're gonna do right by that girl, and I want you to know that I love you both, and will always be here for you." A tear dropped from one eye as he finished speaking.

"We love you, too, Lafayette. I didn't just get Sookie out of this. I got two brothers, too. You and Jason. I feel like the luckiest guy alive. I'll always be around if you need anything, and I promise, we'll be back to visit as often as we can." And then, _fuck me_, I hugged the queen.

"Alright you big babies, knock off the emotional shit. We've got a plane to catch." That Pam. So sensitive.

Lafayette and I released each other and shook hands. "She's right. Let's get this show on the road before I start crying again and ruin what's left of my mascara."

With the house shut down and locked up, I took one last look around and grabbed Sookie's hand, leading her to the truck. Jake was already strapped in to the back seat, along with Octavia. Lafayette was driving Pam and Sam, and Daphne and Jason tagged along, wanting to see us off on our journey back home.

When we arrived at the airport, we unloaded the truck and I returned it to the rental location. I was sad to see it go, but I knew I'd be getting one just like it soon to leave in Bon Temps for our hopefully frequent visits back. Jacob's care worker met us at the plane. He gave Lafayette, Jason and Daphne each a hug and a kiss goodbye and then boarded the plane with her. We all just stood there, not wanting to say goodbye.

Sam had his arm around Daphne, and tears were welling up in her eyes. He wiped them away with his thumbs and pulled her in to a kiss. "I'll see you in one week," he said to her, and I was relieved to hear it.

Jason hugged Sookie, then shook my hand and said goodbye. Lafayette followed suit, and then the rest of the gang. It was difficult to leave after all we'd shared that past week, but I knew we'd be back soon enough.

Once on the plane, I sat next to Sookie and took her hand.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I will be. Just a little melancholy. But I'm excited to be going home to start our life together."

I pressed my lips to her hand, kissing it softly. "Remember, Sookie. This is just the beginning. Everything is just going to get better."

I pulled her in to my side, and soon, she was fast asleep. The whirlwind of the week had finally caught up with both of us. I looked over to Jacob, who was also asleep, then closed my eyes and drifted off myself.

I woke up to the sound of the captain announcing our impending arrival in New York. I touched Sookie's shoulder lightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. "We're almost home, baby."

She grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I can't wait to get back and crawl in bed with you. I'm exhausted."

"Are we going to your apartment, or do you want to come back to mine?" I was surprised that I hadn't thought of this detail before.

"Let's go back to your place. We can go to mine tomorrow morning and I can pack my things," she said, smiling at me.

I must have been grinning like an idiot because she gave me a curious look.

"What?" she asked.

"I love knowing that I'll be waking up to you every day. I can't get enough of you." I kissed her, and heard a groan from across the aisle.

"Get a room, you two," Pam snorted.

"Stop being such a snatchy bitch, Pamela," I growled.

"Then stop making out in front of me," she replied.

Sookie laughed out loud. "Seriously, you two. Separate corners, okay?"

When we landed, we stepped off the plane and loaded our luggage in to our awaiting cars. It was good to see my 'Vette. I'd missed my baby. She was my first love, after all.

Jacob was curled up in the care workers arms, fast asleep. Knowing that I wasn't taking him home with me was killing me, but I'd start the process of straightening that shit out first thing the following morning. There was no time to waste anymore. I'd pay off every judge I could if it meant having him with us sooner. I walked up to them, taking him from her arms and snuggling him in to my chest. He stirred a little, and opened his eyes.

"Hi there, sleepyhead," I whispered. "We're home now. I'm sorry you can't come with us tonight, but I promise I'll come see you at the center tomorrow." I kissed his forehead and then handed him to Sookie.

"I love you buddy. Thanks for coming to the wedding. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He shook his head as she hugged him tightly to her. My heart was breaking for all of us. I took him from her arms and placed him back in the worker's hands.

"Keep him safe for us, alright?" She nodded, and brought him over to their waiting car. Sookie started to sob and I pulled her in to me.

"Shhh, honey. We'll see him tomorrow. Don't be sad. We'll get this straightened out soon. I promise." And I meant it. I'd do whatever it took.

We said goodbye to Pam, Sam and Octavia and then I walked her to our car, opening the door and helping her in to the passenger seat. We were on the highway in no time, and I began talking to her about anything and everything I could think of to cheer her up.

"Hey, Sookie? Why did you smile at me the way you did in the kitchen this morning?" I asked.

She turned her whole body to face me. "I just love watching you with Jake. You're so good with him. It's crazy, but I think he looks just like you, too. It's like he was meant to be your son all along. You're going to be a great daddy, Eric. Jake and I are lucky to have found you."

"It's easy to be good with him," I admitted. "It just feels so natural. I can't explain it. And I'm the lucky one in this equation, Sookie. Finding you two was the best thing that ever happened to me."

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, then leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Let's go home, baby."

She smiled at me, and I couldn't tear my eyes off of her. I was taking my wife home. I felt like I was in a daze. Everything in my life had fallen in to place in one short week. I was married to an amazing woman. I was going to be a father. I was in love. I really was the luckiest man alive. I had everything I ever wanted.

My attention from the road was distracted by my internal musings, and I heard everything a split second too late. It sounded like a bomb had gone off. I heard Sookie scream my name, and turned to see the car in front of us spinning out of control, its right rear tire completely blown off. I had nowhere to go, and I knew I didn't have enough room to stop before hitting it. It felt like it was all happening in slow motion before my eyes. I instinctively threw my arm in front of Sookie, bracing her body for the impact I knew was coming. I heard metal crunching, and then, in an instant, everything went black.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

I woke up to the sound of hushed voices. I tried to open my eyes to see where they were coming from, but the light was too bright and I quickly closed them. My legs felt like they had lead weights attached to them, as well as my left arm.

_What the fuck? _I thought.

If this wasn't the worst hangover in the history of the world, then I didn't know what was. My brain felt like it was pounding out of my skull, and my mouth was so very dry. Sahara desert dry.

_How much did I drink last night?_

"Water," I managed to croak out while once again trying to force my eyes open.

"Oh my god, Eric! You're awake! Quick, Sam! Go get Sookie and the doctor." Pam was practically shrieking. I heard chair legs screeching across the floor and a door slam shut. I saw my sister reach for a pitcher of water and pour a glass for me. She put a straw in it and held it up to my lips. I took a long pull off the straw, and half of the water spilled down my chest. That's when I got a good look at my body, spread out across what I now realized was a hospital bed.

I couldn't see my legs as they were under a blanket, but I wiggled my toes, grateful I could feel them. My left arm was heavily bandaged, and I could feel something wrapped tightly around my chest and back. Every time I inhaled, I felt a sharp stab in my chest. I lifted my hand to my head. More bandages still. I was hooked up to an IV, and had a breathing tube in my nose.

_Jesus Freaking Christ._

"Pam, what happened to me last night?" I asked.

_I must have blacked out and fallen down. Or maybe I got hit by a cab. Was I mugged? Who the fuck knew?_

"Eric, this didn't happen last night. You've been unconscious for days. You don't remember the accident?" She looked scared. I'd never seen her that way before, and I was more than a little freaked out.

"Days? What the fuck? All I remember was heading to the bar before Sam's gallery opening, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in the hospital. Tell me what the hell is going on, Pam!"

_Shit. This is bad. Shit. Shit. Shit. _

The louder I got, the more my chest and sides ached.

Her eyes went wide as she laid one hand on my arm in an attempt to soothe my now frazzled nerves. "I think it's best if we wait for the doctor. Sam just went to get him."

"Sam's here?" I asked.

_Crap. He'll be pissed I missed his opening._

"We're all here. Sam, Sookie and I have been taking shifts staying with you," she explained.

"Soo..." I was about to ask, but a small woman in a long white coat, apparently my doctor, walked in, followed by a frantic looking woman with a large bandage on her head.

"Eric!" The woman screamed, and she flew to my side, kissing my lips and face. Tears were spilling from her eyes.

"Oh, Jesus. I thought I'd lost you!" she whimpered.

I had no idea what the hell was happening, and I was totally confused. I gently grabbed her arm with my right hand and eased her away from me. She looked distraught, but I couldn't focus, and her citrus-sugar scent wasn't helping. I needed room to breathe.

"Will someone please tell me what in Christ's name is happening?" I roared.

"Son, I'm Dr. Ludwig, and what's happening is that you've been in a coma for three days. You suffered some pretty serious head trauma in the car crash." She leaned over me and shined a light in to both of my eyes. She seemed to like the response she got, so she said, "Now can you tell me your name?"

"Eric Northman," I replied quickly.

"Good. That's good. Now do you know what day it is?" she asked.

I had to think about that for a moment. If Sam's gallery opening was on a Friday, and I'd been out cold for three days, then I guess it had to be Tuesday.

"Tuesday," I replied, knowing that it sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Hmm," she mumbled, and I got the distinct impression I'd gotten that answer wrong. "Ok, try this. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember leaving the photo shoot, and I was pissed off and totally stressed out, so I went down to The Continental for a drink," I replied.

"And then?" she prompted.

Hard as I tried, I couldn't come up with anything.

"I…I don't know. I can't remember."

I heard the woman with the bandage on her head wail, and it sounded as if she was in agony.

"Oh my god. He doesn't remember any of it!" She slid off of her chair on to the floor and sobbed.

Sam ran to and pulled her in to a tight embrace. "Shh, Sookie. It'll be okay. I promise. It'll be okay."

_What the fuck?_

"Doc, please help me to understand this. Why can't he remember anything that's happened for the week leading up to the accident?" Pam asked.

"Look," Dr. Ludwig began. "His head took a hell of a beating in the crash. It could be there was some damage done to the temporal lobe, and now it's possible he's experiencing some post-traumatic amnesia. I'm going to schedule an MRI for tomorrow afternoon, and we'll know more once I've had a chance to review the results."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I was getting more and more pissed by the minute.

"I'm not sure what is going on yet, to be honest," she said. "The best thing you can do right now is stay calm, Mr. Northman. It would be irresponsible of me to make any kind of diagnosis without further testing. "

"You're telling me that I was in some sort of crash, banged my head up, and I've lost nearly a week and a half of my life and you want me to stay calm? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Eric, please," Pam begged. "Listen to the doctor. You're not doing anyone any good by behaving like an asshole, including yourself. We'll all do our best to fill in the missing pieces for you, but we can only do that if you're not freaking out."

"Okay. Okay. I'm calm," I replied angrily. I took several deep breaths, even though it hurt like a bitch, and looked between my sister, Sam, the doctor and the unfamiliar woman. They all looked worried, but she looked destroyed.

_I could empathize._

"Now, let me check your vitals, Mr. Northman, and then I'll leave you to discuss things with your family," Dr. Ludwig said.

She took my pulse, shone that stupid ass light in my eyes again and checked my breathing.

"Physically, you're doing better than I expected, considering what you went through. You've got lots of scratches and bruises, of course. Your left arm is sprained, and your legs got banged up pretty good as well. You've got several cracked ribs, which I assume happened when you threw yourself over the passenger seat, but you'll heal. Our biggest concern is the trauma to your head right now. So rest and I'll send the nurse in shortly to bring you something light to eat and clean you up a bit. We'll figure all this out. Now chill out. That's an order."

"Wait, Dr. Ludwig, before you go…if it is amnesia, will I ever get those memories back?" I asked, petrified of her answer.

"It's hard to say, Eric. There's no exact science to this. Let's get some testing done to see what we're dealing with first before we try to go any further with this discussion. I'll see you tomorrow. Visiting hours are over in forty-five minutes. Do not overwhelm him tonight. He's already been through enough for one day." She raised an eyebrow to Pam, who acknowledged the doctor's statement with a nod.

When the doctor left, Pam resumed her place by my side. "Okay, Eric. Let's take this nice and slow. I'm going to tell you everything that happened since Friday. But if you start to freak out on me, I'm going to stop and wait until tomorrow to finish. Can you try to take it easy?"

I nodded my head, and she began to tell me the story of my missing week. How I met Sookie. How I met Jacob. How I flew to Louisiana and married her, and planned to adopt a little boy with her. How I changed my whole life in one week. Then the car crash…my 'Vette…it was all insanity.

" IMPOSSIBLE!" I screamed at Pam when she'd finished speaking.

"Eric, I told you that you had to stay calm, or I would nip this shit in the bud. This little outburst of yours right now certainly qualifies as 'freaking out.'"

"Of course I'm freaking out! You just told me that I married someone I met on the street a little over a week ago. Who the hell does that? Does that even sound like something I would do?" I paused, then, looking over at the woman who was apparently my wife.

She looked broken, and while I felt bad for her, I felt worse for myself. A heavy sob poured forth from her chest as she rose and walked to the side of my bed.

"Look, I know this all very hard for you to take in right now, and I don't want to cause you any undue stress, but the fact of the matter is that we did meet a little over a week ago, and we did fall in love very quickly, and yes, it is insane, but we did get married. Everyone we love, including Jacob, was there. I love you, Eric."

She took my right hand, lifted it to her admittedly beautiful lips and placed gentle kisses along the top of it. "Don't you remember how my kiss feels?"

"I'm sorry, Sookie," I whispered. "I just…I don't remember. I keep waiting for the Candid Camera dude to pop in the door. None of this makes sense. I am not now, nor have I ever been the kind of man who gets married after knowing someone for a week, and I've certainly never been what one would consider father material. I must have had a mental breakdown. That's all I can think of that would explain what you're saying I did."

I looked at her hand as she held mine, and that's when I saw it. My mother's ring.

"Where the fuck did you get that?" I hissed at her.

"You gave it to me when we were in Louisiana. You asked me to marry you, and you gave me this ring." More tears were falling from her large blue eyes, and her body was shaking.

"I would never, _NEVER_ give my mother's ring to anyone. Give it back!" I shouted at her.

She flinched and jumped backwards at the tone of my voice. Before I could say anything else, she took the ring off her left hand and threw it at me, then ran out of the room. I could hear her footfalls all the way down the hall. Sam looked at me, shook his head and took off after her.

"Eric! You shouldn't be yelling at her!" Pam screamed. "You did give her that ring. I was the maid of honor in the goddamn wedding. Now I understand there are reasons beyond your control right now that explain why you're acting like a complete jerk off, but you need to calm the hell down and stop treating Sookie like the enemy. I saw your love for each other with my own eyes. Now will you please knock this shit off and let us try to help you figure this out?"

I couldn't think. I didn't know which end was up. I needed this all to stop. I said the first thing that came in to my mind.

"Get the hell out. I want to be alone."

Pam stood there for a moment with her hands on her hips, staring at me. She shook her head, the disappointment obvious on her face, and the walked out the door.

After the nurses had brought me some tasteless soup and had cleaned me up a bit, I laid there for a long time, just holding my mother's ring in my hand. I thought about the day she'd given it to me, right before she died, saying that I should keep it and give it to the one woman who loved me as much as she loved my father. I didn't want it, knowing full well I'd probably never marry. I was too fucked up. But I couldn't say no to her that day. I tried giving it to Pam, but she was, well, Pam. She refused, and so I kept it, burying it away in the back of a dresser drawer for years.

I thought long and hard about what would motivate me to give that ring to Sookie, and even more about what could possibly induce me into wanting to marry someone who I'd known for such a short period of time. There were only two possible conclusions. Either I was clinically insane at the time, or I really loved her. But it didn't matter. She'd run away, and I had no memory of her…and possibly never would. I didn't know why, but that scared me more than anything.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Two weeks. I'd been stuck in that fucking hospital bed for two lousy weeks, and the only memories I had of Sookie were her wails of anguish after the realization I'd forgotten all about her and the things that had transpired between us. Well, that's not entirely true. I remembered the delicious smell of her when she flew to my side…lemons and sugar. I remembered her large blue eyes, the curve of her jaw, the softness of her hair against my face…I just couldn't remember anything about her before that. What made it worse was the fact that I realized I really wanted to remember. Staring at my mother's ring night after night, the loneliness that filled me began to burst through my chest, threatening to permanently crack me in half.

It had been two god damned weeks, and all the doctors could tell me to do was to try to relax. Dr. Ludwig couldn't give me any assurances that my memories would come back. The most she would say was that it was a crap shoot. Some times they came back, some times they didn't. While she was able to ascertain that I wouldn't retain any permanent physical damage as a result of cracking my skull, there were no guarantees of anything in regards to my memory. For a guy who likes to be in control of everything in his life, it was a bitter pill for me to swallow. There was a chance that I would have to simply accept my fate, but there was a very large part of me that was simply unwilling to do so. I had to know what had driven me to do something so out of character. I just didn't know where to begin.

Pam and Sam came to visit me every day, and I asked them to tell me over and over everything they knew about Sookie, about our time in Louisiana, and how I behaved around her when we were together. The general consensus was that she had changed me from a callous, miserable prick to a blathering, lovesick idiot practically overnight. Pam had even gone so far as to tell me she believed Sookie was my soul mate. To hear those words out of my sister's mouth gave me pause. Pam never thought in those terms. She was a big believer in the here and now, not in mystical forces. The fact that she actually believed it to be true gave weight to the words, and I'd have been lying if I'd said that it didn't scare the shit out of me.

I knew they were both checking up on her, but I couldn't bring myself to ask how she was handling all of it. I also knew it was the coward's way out, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to handle the answer…at least not right away. I knew my memory loss was not my fault, but I had been horrible to her in the wake of it. Whether I remembered her or not, she didn't deserve the cruel words that flew out of my mouth on the night I woke up. I had spent a lot of time over those two weeks wishing I could take back everything I said. There were so many better ways to handle that situation, but in true Eric Northman form, I spoke before thinking. I regretted that deeply.

I was also disturbed by something Pam had said to me a few days before. She was more emotional than I'd ever seen her, and when I pressed her to continue, she said that she had been looking forward to being an aunt…that she missed Jacob. While I knew the name from the stories she told me, I was still unable to remember him. The troubling part though, was that when we spoke of him, I felt a tugging around my heart, as if a string were tied to it, and some unseen force outside my body was pulling me towards it. I found myself gasping for air from the sheer pain of it.

On my fifteenth morning in the hospital, Dr. Ludwig informed me she'd be releasing me later that afternoon. My vitals were good, and my injuries were healing well. Well, all except the piece of meat lodged under my skull.

While I was glad I was able to get the fuck out of there, I was scared shitless at the thought of returning to my life. I didn't have the slightest clue as to where or how to start over. I knew I didn't want to go back to being the "miserable, callous prick," but I couldn't see any way to move forward, either. Everyone kept telling me to ease back in, to take things slowly, but what I really wanted to do was run through the streets of Manhattan screaming "somebody save me!." How does one jump in to a new life when they don't have a starting point to leap from? I would be moving on without a compass, and I was petrified.

Pam came to take me home after I had been released. We stopped at the drug store first to fill my prescriptions, then drove directly back to my house. A FedEx deliveryman was ringing the doorbell as we approached.

"Can I help you?" Pam asked.

"I have a package for an Eric Northman," he replied.

"That's me," I said. I took the box and signed for it.

"Have a great day!" the man said.

"Not bloody likely," I grumbled, but he was fortunately too far away to hear it.

"Cheer up, shit head. It'll get better. Now let's get you inside so you can rest," Pam said.

I followed her in to the carriage house and was immediately overwhelmed by a sense of emptiness. I was in my own home, with my sister, and yet it all felt wrong. I had no idea what the fuck was happening, but I felt consumed by grief and loss. Something was missing. Something palpable. I forced myself to take several deep breaths before I took another step inside.

Placing one heavy foot in front of the other, I walked in to the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the drawer to open the box that was still in my hands. I didn't recognize the return address, but I knew Church Street was in lower Manhattan. As I slid the blade across the top and down the sides, I tried to think of anyone I knew down there, but drew a blank. I placed the knife on the counter and opened the box.

Inside the box, I found two sets of keys, a jewelry box and an envelope with my name written across it in neat, tiny script. I pulled the keys out and placed them on the counter, then turned my attention to the jewelry box. I opened it slowly and found a stunning diamond bracelet inside.

Pam walked up to me, furrowed her brows and said, "Oh, god. I'd forgotten about all of this."

"What is it, Pam? I don't understand," I pleaded with her.

"I think you'd better open that envelope. After you've looked it over, if you still want to talk about it, I'll be here." She left the kitchen and made her way to the couch.

I picked the envelope up off the counter and went out in to the back yard. I sat at the table and took a deep breath as I opened it. Inside was a voided check made out to some place called Adele's House for $250,000 with my signature on it, and a thick piece of paper folded in half. I placed the check back in the envelope and then unfolded the paper and began to read.

_**Dear Eric,**_

_**I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to say at this moment. There's so much I want to tell you, but after your reaction to me in the hospital, I'm finding it difficult to get the words out. **_

_**I suppose I should start by explaining the contents of the box, as I'm certain you have no memory of them. I must return them to you in light of the present circumstances. The keys belong to the vans you purchased for the children's center I run. They are parked on Church Street between West Broadway and Chambers Street. I'm sure you'll be able to sell them and recoup much of the money you spent on them. The check you gave me for the center has been voided, and though I truly appreciated the gesture of the donation, the reason behind giving it to me no longer exists in your mind. Lastly, I am returning the bracelet you gave me the night before our wedding. I could not keep it. Looking at it causes me so much pain that I can hardly breathe.**_

_**I was able to stop Lafayette (you don't remember him, but that is inconsequential now) from filing our marriage certificate and I will ask the judge to void our marriage license. As he is an old family friend, I am certain I can make that happen. While it pains me so to tell you this, it is your right to know that we are not legally married, and therefore you remain with your freedom intact.**_

_**Although you may not know this, I owe you a debt of gratitude for which I cannot ever repay. The paramedics at the scene of the accident told me that had it not been for you throwing your body in front of me, I would most likely not have survived the accident. Though I would gladly have given my life for you not to be experiencing what you are going through right now, I am grateful nonetheless for your selfless act.**_

_**I want you to understand that though you may never remember the time we spent together, I have enough memories of it all for both of us. Our time, though brief, was the happiest of my life, and I want to thank you for that. Know that I loved you fiercely, passionately and without end. I pray in time that you will heal and be happy, and that my heart will heal as well.**_

_**When times are tough for you, try to remember those moments long ago in your parent's kitchen, when your family's love enveloped you. Remember the moments you traveled around the world, acting as the voice for those who had none. Those memories will bring you peace and point you in the right direction when you feel you are lost.**_

_**Live well, Eric. Knowing you are doing so will help me get through the days ahead. Your happiness is all that matters.**_

_**Yours...always,**_

_**Sookie**_

I let the letter fall from my hand. There were no words to describe the grief it caused me. I had treated this woman like dirt, and there she was, thanking me for acts of love that I cannot remember. My lack of memory had torn her entire life apart, and her concern was only for my well-being. The pain I felt was overwhelming. How can you miss something, someone you don't even remember? And yet, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I did. I buried my face in my hands and sobbed.

Suddenly, Pam was behind me. I didn't know how long she'd been standing there, but I was grateful for her soothing presence nonetheless. I picked up the letter and handed it to her, begging her silently with my eyes to read it.

When she'd finished, she placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "Come with me, Eric. I was going to wait to show you this, but I think you need to see it now."

She offered me her hand, and I took it. She led me down the path to my studio, and when we reached the door, she ushered me inside, but didn't follow me.

"Aren't you coming in with me?" I asked.

"No, Eric. This is something you need to do on your own. I'll be right outside. Call me if you need me."

She backed away from me, closing the door as she went. I had no idea why she wanted me in this room, why she'd force me to stare at the images that haunted me for so long, the images that created the beast that I had become. But I steeled my resolve and turned around to face them anyways. Pam was right. I needed to confront them head on if I had any hope of pulling myself out of my self-created emotional abyss.

But what I saw in that moment were not images of a life I'd lost at all. Every one of my old photographs had been removed, and in their place were images of the life I had tried to create with a woman I could no longer remember. I wavered on my feet, suddenly feeling dizzy, so I placed my hand against the wall to steady myself. When the feeling had passed, I looked up to where my hand lay…and that's when it happened.

**I began at the first wall, focusing intently at the images now before me. **

Sookie kissing some god-awful van…_Oh god, that was in front of The Continental…_

A beautiful older woman smiling…_Octavia…_

Sookie in a fountain, her dress hitched up against her thighs, moon light shining off her hair…_I danced with her in Washington Square Park…_

Sookie shoving a hotdog in to her beautiful mouth…_She ate five dogs at Gray's Papaya…_

Sookie with a tear falling down her cheek…_A reaction to my photos in Sam's office…_

Sookie and Sam laughing…_Inside his gallery…_

Sookie standing in front of a large print…L_ooking like a goddess in a field…_

Sookie sleeping in my shirt…_In my bed…_

A beautiful blonde-haired boy…_Oh, my god, Jacob…_

Sookie with Jacob on her lap…_Reading to the children at the center…_

**And then, the second wall…**

Sookie flipping an omelet…_The kitchen in Bon Temps…_

Sookie stuck in a grocery cart…_After I'd tossed her in it…_

Sookie with a Black-Eyed Susan in her hair…_After making love to her in the creek…_

Sookie laughing at a picnic table…_The crawfish boil at Lafayette's…Jason…_

Sookie on her stomach, covered in wildflowers…_After a night of making love to her outside…_

Sookie napping on the porch swing…_I found her like this after I told Lafayette and Jason I wanted to marry her…_

**And the third wall…**

Sookie, Me and Judge Hicknell…_After he'd given us our marriage license…_

Sookie, Pam, Octavia, Sam, Lafayette and Jason at the table…_The night they all met…_

Sookie's decorated back yard…_The night of our "engagement party"…_

Sookie dressed in a beautiful blue dress…_The night I gave her the bracelet…_

Sookie with tears in her eyes, holding Jake…_After they surprised us by bringing him to us…_

Our family sitting around the table under the tent…_Before they made me stay at Lafayette's…_

**And then, finally, the last wall…**

Lafayette and I in our suits…_After a miserable Patron hangover…_

Sam with his arm around Daphne…_Sam's in love with her…_

Me, standing, waiting for Sookie…_I couldn't wait to see her…_

Pam walking down the aisle…_She was amazing…she put it all together…_

Jacob with a pillow in his hands…_He held the rings that bound us together…_

Sookie walking down the aisle…_I couldn't breathe, she was so beautiful…_

Sookie and I kissing…_We were man and wife…_

Our hands, wrapped together…_Hers with my mother's ring on her finger…_

Sookie, Jake and I, dancing…_while Sam played our first dance…_

Sookie and I, holding each other, staring in to each others eyes…_My wife, my love…_

Sookie, Jacob and I, sitting on the front porch, holding each other…_My wife, my son…my son…my son…_

"Oh my god!" I cried out as I dropped to my knees on the floor.

"Eric!" Pam shrieked as she ran in. "Are you ok? What happened?"

I was shaking and sobbing. "Pam, I remember. I remember all of it."

"Well, it's about freaking time!" she wailed, but there was no malice in her voice. She dropped down in front of me and wrapped her arms around me.

"What do I do, Pam? You read that letter. I know she loves me, but I hurt her so badly. Tell me what to do."

"You get your ass up off of this floor, for starters," she began. "Then you come in the house and we talk it through. She loves you, Eric. She's hurt for sure, but there's no doubt in my mind that we can get her back."

"We?" I asked.

"Look, you're Eric Motherfucking Northman, and I'm Pam Motherfucking Northman. There's absolutely nothing we cannot accomplish if we do it together. She's my sister-in-law, and god damn it, I want my family back. So get up, and let's go talk this shit through."

"Thank you, Pam," I whispered.

"Thank me when she's back in your arms. Until then, we've got work to do. I'm calling Sam. He needs to be here for this shit." She grabbed my hand and led me out of the studio and back in to the house.

Four hours later, the three of us had it all worked out. Well, almost. A large part of "Operation Get Sookie Back" depended upon Sookie herself. But I had to have faith. If she could still love me after how badly I'd treated her, then I could have faith in her.

"I need to take care of something, guys. I'll be back in a little while," I said, grabbing my keys and walking towards the door. I stopped before I walked through it and turned to face them both.

"One more thing, Pam. Get me Jacob. I want him living in this house by the end of the month. I don't care what you have to do. Buy off every fucking judge in the city if you have to, but I want my son back."

"Now there's the Eric Northman I know and love. Consider it as good as done," she replied with a wicked smile.

I left the house feeling lighter than I had since the day of my wedding. I had hope for the future. I would see this through, and with the help of our family, I'd get Sookie and Jacob back.

Yes, Eric Motherfucking Northman was definitely back.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"So, you're square on all the details?" I asked. I couldn't believe my luck. Finding him was too perfect for words.

"Yep. Don't worry, brother. I'll be there." He smiled and shook my hand.

"I don't know how to begin to thank you." I said.

"Man, you gave me enough material to last me a lifetime. That's all the thanks I need. See you Saturday?"

"Yes. Saturday," I confirmed.

"I knew you had it bad the minute I saw you," he quipped.

"Dude, you have absolutely no idea how bad."

* * *

"Adele's House. Octavia speaking. How can I help you?"

_Oh, thank you, sweet baby Jesus for not letting Sookie pick up._

"Hello, Octavia. It's Eric." I could hear a sharp intake of breath across the telephone line, and I flinched, knowing this would possibly be the first of many hoops I'd have to jump through.

"Hello, Eric. How are you feeling?" she asked coolly.

"Much better, thank you. They've let me out of the hospital," I replied.

"That's very good news. Now what can I do for you, son?" Her words were clipped.

"I'm calling you because I need your help. I want to talk to Sookie, but I'm afraid she would run if I just approached her out of the blue."

"Eric, you have to understand. You've hurt her so badly. I cannot possibly convey to you the state she's been in since the accident. Maybe now's not such a good time." Her maternal voice had suddenly gone in to overdrive.

"Octavia. Please. I know I was a right jackass the way I treated her when I woke up. I feel horrible about it. But, Octavia…I remember now. I remember you, I remember her…I remember Jacob. All of it. I need to get them back, and I'm afraid this won't work if I can't convince you to help me."

The pregnant pause after I finished speaking was almost unbearable.

"What can I do, Eric? Just tell me and I'll do it."

"Oh, thank god. Thank you." I exhaled the breath I'd been holding, and then began to tell her all about the plan.

When I'd finished speaking, I heard her sigh. "Eric. What if I can't make it happen?"

"You have to, Octavia. I'll do the rest of the work. Just convince her. Convince them. I know you can," I pleaded.

"Alright, Eric. I'll handle it. Don't worry. Now when will your letter be arriving?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I'm sending it over with a courier."

"I'll make sure she gets it. Promise me you'll make this right, Eric. I can't stand seeing her like this."

"I'll never let her go again. I promise. She's mine," I stated firmly.

"Good boy. I'll see you Saturday. Good night, Eric."

"Goodnight, Octavia. Thank you."

_Two down, a hell of a lot more to go._

* * *

"Yes, Eric. We're all set," Pam growled. Clearly, she was annoyed. We were sitting at my kitchen table, papers and checklists organized neatly in front of us.

"Please, humor me. This is too important. Let's go over it one more time."

"Fucking fine. But this is the last time. You're going to drive me insane. Have you forgotten the fact that I've practically run your life for God knows how many years now? I think I can handle this."

_Oh yeah, she was definitely annoyed._

I chose to ignore her rant. "The packets?" I asked.

"Being printed as we speak. Picking them up tomorrow and bringing them straight to Sam."

"Good. And the invites?"

"Emailed, called or hand delivered. I've got an assistant on the phone right now confirming the RSVP's."

"Excellent. Any progress in Louisiana?"

"Judge Hicknell will keep the license on file until he hears from us. Same with Lafayette…who, by the way, is royally pissed off at you right now."

"I'll call him as soon as I get off the phone with you. He'll live. Continue."

"He, Jason and Daphne will be here Saturday afternoon. I've chartered the plane for them."

I hesitated. The potential answer to the next question had me on tenterhooks. "Jacob?"

"I'm working on it. Eric. You have to understand how difficult it is with the situation being what it is at present. After Saturday, if everything goes according to our plan, there will be one less hurdle we have to jump over."

"Okay. Okay. I guess I can't ask for more than that," I sighed.

"It'll all work out. I promise you. You just have to be patient," she said.

"I've waited for them my entire life, Pam. I don't want to wait one more minute."

"If you've waited that long, what's a few more days? Have faith, Eric. That's all I can say."

She was right. I knew she was, but every ounce of me wanted to hold the two loves of my life in my arms…immediately_._

"Pam, if I haven't told you lately, you're the greatest sister and friend anyone could ever be lucky enough to have. Thank you." I grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"You're welcome, brother." She smiled at me and then rose from the table to leave. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Now get some rest. You look like shit." She picked up the stacks of papers and shoved them in her bag.

"Good night, Eric," she called out from the front door, which slammed behind her as she left.

Sleep. Yeah, I could definitely have used some at that point. But not yet. There were two more calls to make. I ran my fingers through my hair, took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

* * *

"Lafayette, its Eric." I steadied myself, waiting for the barrage of words to spill forth from his lips.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Forgetful."

Yeah. It was going to be worse than I thought. "Lafayette, you know that wasn't my fault."

"Yes, I know that. What I don't know is why you acted a damn fool towards her. She's been nearly inconsolable. I told you when I met you that I'd kick your ass from Bon Temps to Shreveport if you hurt her. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"Because I love her, L. Because I didn't mean to hurt her. Because I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to her if she'll have me." I was near tears, hoping he heard it in my voice.

A loud exhale passed from the other end of the line. "You're lucky I like you, chere. Very lucky. But just so we're clear..._never_ again. You will never hurt her again. Do we understand each other?"

"Completely," I replied.

"Good. Now tell me what I can do, sugar." His tone was considerably lighter now, and I was grateful for it.

"Has Pam informed you of all the details of the plan?" I asked.

"Yes, she has."

"Then that's it. Just get here. We're taking care of everything else."

"Alright, then. I'll see you Saturday, darlin'."

"Thank you, Lafayette. I owe you one. Probably more than one, for that matter," I confessed.

"Don't worry baby. I'll let you know when it's time for me to collect," he cooed.

Hanging up, I knew somehow he would.

* * *

"Hey Sam. How's it going?" I asked. I'd called him at the gallery.

"Pam said you were going to be annoying tonight," he joked.

"I'd be tempted to say 'Fuck Pam' if she hadn't been so incredibly amazing through all of this. I just called to check in on everything."

"We're good here, brother. Everything is ready. It's you're turn now. The rest is up to you."

"Thanks again, Sam. I know this has been hard on you. I'm sorry you were stuck in the hospital with me when you should have been with Daphne in Shreveport." I'd felt terrible about that, actually. He was supposed to visit her, but he stayed at my side instead of going. I was damned lucky to have the friends I did.

"Yeah, that kinda sucked, but she's a good girl. She understood. Besides, I'll see her in a few days. Don't worry about it. That's what friends do for one another."

"You're more than a friend, Sam. You're my brother. I hope you know how I feel about you." I meant every word of it.

"I do, Eric. Now get some rest. You sound like shit," he said.

"Yeah, I've gotten that more than once tonight. Thanks, Sam. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Go get your girl, Eric. It's not the same around here without her. Goodnight."

I reminded myself to buy him and Daphne a nice long vacation when this whole thing was done and over with.

Just one more thing to do now and I couldn't sleep until it was finished.

* * *

_Dear Sookie,_

_I know your first instinct might be to rip this up before you read it. If I were in your shoes, I would probably be tempted to do the same thing. But please, bear with me and finish this letter. If you choose to toss it afterwords, I'll completely understand, though I sincerely hope you won't._

_I cannot begin to express to you how sorry I am for the way I have treated you. While I know that the memory loss was not my fault, they way I reacted to you in the hospital was completely inexcusable. I have had several weeks to reflect upon it, and I still cringe at the thought of the words that spilled from my lips. I was an insensitive ass, and for that, I cannot ever apologize to you enough._

_I've though long and hard about the events of the past few weeks, and I've come to the conclusion that even though I couldn't remember you, you must have made a remarkable impression on me for me to have given you my mother's ring. I swore to her that I wouldn't give it to anyone unless the person loved me as much as my mother loved my father. That was something I never once took lightly. So, logic dictates that you must have loved me fiercely for me to have let go of such a treasure. _

_I'm sitting here, alone at my kitchen table, in a house that doesn't feel like a home because there's nothing to fill it but my loneliness. Once again, logic has crept in, and I've realized that I've let go of another treasure. Of course, I didn't know that two weeks ago, but I assure you, I know that now._

_There is so much that I want to say to you…so much I have to say to you, if you'll only let me. I realize that I may be asking too much of you by asking you to speak with me. Hell, I probably don't even have the right to. But nonetheless, I need to try. I'll regret it the rest of my life if I don't. _

_Please, Sookie. Let me be able to look upon your beautiful face when I speak the words I so long to say to you. I'm humbled, on my knees, begging for you to allow it. Come to me. Come to me this Saturday, and let me talk with you a while. There should be nothing left unsaid between us. _

_Meet me on Third Avenue between St. Marks Place and 9th_ _this Saturday at seven o'clock in the evening. Please be there. I'll wait all night if I have to, but please, oh, god, be there._

_Yours,_

_Eric_

I placed my pen down on the table and read and reread the letter so many times that I'd memorized it. I hated not being able to tell her that I remembered her. It was a risky move, but the plan was contingent upon her being surprised. I was already giving too much away by asking her to meet me where it all began. I hoped she would overlook that fact until I was standing in front of her.

I placed the letter in an envelope, sealed it, and then wrote her name on the front. She'd get it tomorrow afternoon. I'd have to wait more than twenty-four hours to see if she would show. She had to. My life, her life, Jacob's life…_our_ life, the one I wanted more than anything, depended upon it.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

I sat in front of the now boarded-up Starbucks for hours. Well, that's not entirely true. I paced. When that didn't work, I sat. When that failed to calm me, I paced again. I texted Pam at least ten times, which, of course, didn't go over so well. After several rounds of "Calm down, you big pussy," responses, I'd finally given up. I was a ball of nervous energy, and I couldn't sit still. She wasn't due until seven o'clock…if she would show at all, that is. But I had to be there. Just in case. In case of what, I didn't know, but I had no place else to be. So I waited.

I thought about what would happen if she didn't come. I didn't want to, but my brain was a traitorous bastard…my mind had a mind of its own, it seemed. I had no idea how to move forward without her…without him. I laughed to myself when I thought about the two tiny forces of nature that had apparently taken over my heart and soul. Both so small, physically, compared to me, and yet more full of life than I'd ever been. I wanted, _no_, I craved them. Nothing about me worked anymore without them near me.

I stared across the street, remembering the first moment I saw her eyes…those pools of blue that bore right in to mine, effectively blasting away the hardened exterior of the person I once was. I couldn't go back to being the man I was before I met her, because he'd simply ceased to exist the moment she walked into my life. She had – no, has – an almost inhuman capacity for love, and that love changed me. No, there was no going back. Even if she turned me away, I'd be doing her memory a disservice by being anything other than the person she expected me to be. If that was the only thing I would ever be able to do for her again, so be it. But I couldn't think more on it.

It was nearing seven, and the daytime sky was shifting slowly into night, shades of pink, orange and purples mixed with the blue, casting a beautiful glow over everything. I remembered how her hair looked in the exact same light. It was mere weeks ago, yet it seemed as if it had been years. The comfort, the familiarity, hell, even the joy I felt every time I was in her presence felt like something that would typically take years to generate, yet in a few short weeks with her, it was already there. There would never be another in my life like her, so this was it. This was my one and only shot to make it happen.

Seven o'clock. I could feel my heart pounding, the pulse reaching all the way to my head and throbbing in my ears. I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths, but I was anxious. In truth, I felt like I could throw up at any moment. I closed my eyes and inhaled while silently chanting, "Please show, Sookie. Please." Maybe if I sent the words out in to the universe, someone would hear them and find a way to make her come to me. I knew it was ridiculous, but I was desperate for her to come, and you know what desperation does to people…it makes them more than a little crazy.

I willed my eyes to open and forced them to stare at the spot where it all began. I blinked once, twice, three times…long blonde hair. Tanned, beautiful skin. Bracelets running up her arm. Long white skirt and a blue tank top. She showed. _She showed!_ Her back was to me, and she was watching the people pass her by. It was like seeing her for the first time, only a million times better. My heart was pounding out of my chest in my excitement to start this night. It was time.

I flew across the street, dodging traffic and nearly getting killed by a Yellow Cab. I was so close to her now…only a few feet away. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the task ahead, and launched myself at her.

I heard her shriek as I took her to the ground with me. I let my body break her fall, not wanting her to be hurt, and pulled her down on top of me. Oh, god! It felt so good just holding her again, even if it was on the filthy pavement. I gave her a moment to adjust to her surroundings, to open her eyes and realize there was nothing to fear. When she focused on my face, her eyes grew wide, and I knew…I just knew she figured out what was about to happen.

I inhaled deeply, reveling in her scent. Still sunlight, coconut and flowers. It was uniquely hers. One more breath now, my courage and the memories of us driving me forward. I lifted my face to hers and kissed her, slowly, reverently. She still tasted like lemons and sugar. How had I ever forgotten that? It was overwhelming, and I was tempted to continue kissing her forever, but there was so much more to do. I grudgingly pulled away, and I laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked as she rose up on her elbows.

"Well, I had to do something to snap you out of it and get you off me," I said. "You weigh a ton, you know that?" And for the first time in what seemed like forever, I heard her laugh. It was sweet, a little hesitant and so very beautiful. And that's when I saw it…the flash of recognition in her eyes. She'd spoken those very same words to me on the day we met. She knew. She knew that I had regained my memory.

"Shall we get off the sidewalk, now?" I asked as I helped her up.

"Eric, what's going on?" she asked. I could sense the urgency in her voice. It was time to lay it all on the line; time to let her know how I felt, what I wanted. To tell her the words I hope she wanted…needed to hear.

"I remember, Sookie. I remember everything."

She looked up at me, and I saw her sway a little. I placed both my hands on her shoulders to steady her, terrified that she would faint before I could say anything else. Instead, tears began to spill down her cheeks, and as she cried, I pulled her to me.

"Shh…don't cry, Sookie," I soothed as I held her tightly. I could feel the vibrations of her sobs course through my chest, and I hated myself for being the cause of her pain. "Shh…it's alright. Everything is going to be alright."

After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled out of my embrace and looked up at me, her eyes still red and glossy from her tears. She looked so beautiful, and so very sad.

"Oh, Eric, it's so amazing that you've got your memory back, but what does that mean for us? The loss of you nearly killed me. We were so happy, and then it was ripped away. I'm still trying to come to terms with all of this. More so now that I found out …"

I cut her off. "No, Sookie. Please, just listen. Come with me tonight. Let me talk to you. Let me show you that I love you, that I want the life we planned to have together. Please, just…_please_." I took her hand and pulled her to me, needing her touch more than anything else.

My face was wet with my tears, and she reached up to wipe them away, then cupped my face in her hands and placed a tentative kiss on my lips. "Okay, Eric. Okay. I'll come with you."

Relief washed over me. She was going to give me this chance, and I wouldn't squander it. I took her hand and pulled her along side me, walking in to the early summer evening.

We walked in silence for a while, and when we entered Washington Square Park, she stopped and looked up at me. "Did you plan all of this, Eric?"

"Come on, you'll see," I replied with the grin I knew she loved. When we reached the fountain, I sat her down on a bench and pulled her feet up to my lap. I took her shoes off first and then lowered them so I could remove mine. She looked at me, a puzzled expression on her face. I took her hand again and walked her over to the fountain and we stepped in.

"I should have come in here with you that night. I remember you calling me a party pooper or something to that effect." She giggled at my remark, and my heart nearly broke. I had waited so long to hear that sound, and it overwhelmed me. I was afraid I'd never be able to hear it again, and now here we were, wading through the fountain, and I finally allowed myself to hope that this would work out. That small, beautiful sound emanating from her mouth was all the reassurance I needed. From that point forward, at every stop we made along our journey, I would tell her what I remembered thinking on the night we met.

"I wanted to jump in with you," I continued. "But I was so taken with you, and I couldn't stop staring. You were breathtakingly beautiful. I thought you looked like my own personal water sprite. I tried to stop myself from blinking. I was afraid that if I closed my eyes for one second, you'd disappear."

Somewhere in the background, a guitar began to play, and I moved toward her so I could whisper in her ear. "Do you hear that?" I asked. She nodded her head, and she smiled through her tears. "Dance with me, Sookie." I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her waist. We moved together silently in the fountain, swaying to the soft sounds of the first song we ever danced to.

It felt so good to hold her again. I let the joy of the moment flood over me, remembering the night that changed my life forever. "Thank you, Sookie." I said.

She looked up at me and smiled, and just as I had done on that beautiful night, I took her face in my hands and kissed her. And as it was before, this kiss was full of the gratitude I'd felt for the happiness she'd help me find, but added to it now was my gratitude for the future she offered me. As our lips parted, I whispered in her ear. "You're all the inspiration I'll ever need."

When the song ended, I took her hand and led her out of the fountain. With our shoes back on our feet, we began to exit the park, but I quickly turned around and brought her with me to stand in front of the musician who had played for us all those weeks ago. He smiled up at us, and Sookie bent down to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"My pleasure," was all he offered in response. I shook his hand, and pulled out my wallet. I laid ten one hundred dollar bills in his guitar case. He looked up at me, as if to say it was too much, but I shook my head.

"For inspiration," I said over my shoulder with a wave as we walked away.

As we passed under the arch, I stopped Sookie.

"Harry and Sally," I said.

She grinned and cocked one perfect eyebrow at me, a question with her eyes.

"This is where another great New York City love story begins, silly. When you said that to me that night, my legs turned in to Jell-O. I think that was the moment I knew I was in love with you."

"I remember your jaw was hanging open after I said it," she teased.

"Well, it's not every day someone tells you that you're going to be a player in a prolific love story. I was caught a little off guard." I winked at her as we exited through the arch.

We left the park and I hailed a taxi. I held her close to me in the back seat, placing kisses on every inch of her flesh that was exposed to me.

As I kissed her ear, I whispered, "Sookie, are you hungry?"

Her eyes went wide, and I smiled.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked.

"Nope. Dead serious. What do you say? Shall we have some dogs?"

She nodded and curled back in to me for the duration of the ride. To feel her body pressed in to mine again…to be able to touch her, smell her, love her…it was almost too much. It was a testament to the person she was that she was allowing this after the awful events a few weeks before. I pushed those thoughts from my mind as we pulled up to Gray's Papaya. This was not the time to look back. This was the time to grab my future by the hand and lead her forward.

We walked to the door of Gray's arm in arm, and when we entered, Sookie gasped. "Where is everyone?" she asked. "There's always a line around the block. I've never seen it this empty."

"That's because it's all ours, well at least for the next hour. I assume you'll have the usual?" I gave her a wicked grin, and she just stared at me like I'd gone insane.

"How did you…?" she asked.

"I bought them out until nine o'clock. So, five dogs with everything, and a pina colada?"

She nodded and stood against the counter, shaking her head in disbelief.

With our order filled, I brought our dinner over to the stand-up counter and set Sookie's meal down in front of her. She looked at me again, then grinned, picked up the first dog and dug in. A look of satisfaction passed across her face and I laughed.

"What?" she asked, pushing an errant piece of sauerkraut past her lips.

"I was thinking about the last time we were here together. I remembered thinking that if you didn't like Gray's, it wouldn't be a deal breaker, but that I'd be disappointed. When you hauled ass in here and ordered five dogs, my heart almost stopped." I was laughing out loud, and I was grateful for the privacy we had.

"Do you know that I found myself staring at your mouth every time you took a bite, and that I was totally jealous of the damned hot dog every time it touched your lips?"

"I assumed it was something like that," she grinned. "Well, either that, or you had some pervy hotdog fetish."

"Who says I don't?" I asked.

"Eww. That's just gross, Eric," she squealed.

"No, what was gross was the burp you let out that night," I teased.

"I clearly remember you letting one out yourself."

"Only because I wanted to be a gentleman. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"You are the only person I know who would consider burping 'gentlemanly'." She used air quotes to emphasize her point.

The laughter was back in her voice, and I felt her relax more and more with every minute we spent together. Being with her felt light and easy, and the hope I had in my heart expanded tenfold. But we still had one more stop to make, and it was the most important of the evening. If we could get through it, I knew she'd be mine forever. I just had to find a way not to trip over my words.

"Can I ask you something, Sookie?" I didn't want to bring anything unpleasant up, but I needed to know her answer before we could move forward. We had to get this out of the way now.

"Sure. What do want to know?" she asked, turning to directly face me.

I was so nervous for her answer that I shredded my last hotdog bun. She placed her tiny hand gently over mine and looked up at me.

"Its okay, Eric. Ask me anything."

I exhaled deeply. "How much pain did I cause you, Sookie? I need to know."

She looked at me sadly and then lowered her head. I placed a fingertip under her chin and pulled her face up to look at me. "Please, Sookie, tell me. I have to know everything or I can't fix it."

She sighed, but locked her eyes with mine and began. "I was devastated, Eric. I felt like my heart had been ripped right out of my chest." I winced at her words. They cut my soul to the quick. But I had to hear them. I couldn't help heal her heart if I didn't fully comprehend the pain that resided there.

"I loved you so deeply, so completely, and I was sure you'd felt the same way for me," she continued. "I couldn't understand how you could disregard it so easily. I knew you lost your memory protecting me, and I also knew it wasn't your fault. But when you weren't even willing to acknowledge that our love was a possibility when you were in the hospital, I saw a glimpse of the person you said you were before you met me, and it scared the hell out of me. I felt like a part of me died that day, Eric."

"I'm so sorry for putting you through that," I sighed. She was openly weeping now, and though I was dying to say everything I wanted to tell her, I knew I had to hold back just a little longer. I simply held her, stroking her hair, until her sobs quieted.

"Sookie, we have so much more to talk about, but we need to get going. I promise we can talk more when we get there. Will you stay with me a little longer?"

She nodded her head against my chest and my heart soared. "Let's head out, then. I have something I want you to see. Walk with me a little."

I took her hand and we exited Gray's to head the few blocks uptown. We were quiet as we walked, but I was grateful for the silence. I was running through everything I would tell her in my mind, and I prayed to every god I knew of that the words would come out right.

When we stopped in front of Sam's gallery, she tugged at my hand. "Eric, what are we doing here?"

"Come inside with me and you'll see." I ran my thumb over her cheek and gave her my best lopsided grin. She nodded, and I opened the door and ushered her in ahead of me. When she'd stepped about four feet inside, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the walls.

It was a surreal feeling, watching her as she walked from photograph to photograph around the room. It was the same way I felt when I'd taken her back to my studio only weeks before. I shoved my hands in my pockets as I watched and waited for her. Once again, my soul was laid bare for her to see, and I'd felt even more exposed and vulnerable than the last time.

All of my photographs of her, the ones that Pam had lined the walls of my studio with, were now here in Sam's gallery. They were the story of us, of Sookie and me, of the love we found and nearly lost, vibrant and alive against the pale walls.

She stood in the center of the room, her back to me, and I waited as she absorbed the images around her. I could hear her crying softly, and when I saw her shoulders shake, I bounded forward to stand in front of her. I took her face in my hands and lifted her chin so she could see my eyes as I spoke to her.

"Sookie, there are one hundred photographs on these walls. One hundred photographs that I took of you. Sweet, loving, beautiful you. One hundred photographs that I took because I wanted to remember how amazing you were in each and every moment. These are the pictures that helped me remember us. Do you know what they say about pictures, Sookie?" I asked while kissing her tears away.

She shook her head.

"They say that a single picture is worth one thousand words. That means that there are one hundred thousand words to describe how beautiful you are to me, how much I love you, written across these walls. But none of them mean anything if we're not together. I want you in my life forever, Sookie. I can't let you go. I won't let you go. I need you more than anything I've ever needed in my entire life. You and Jacob both. I want my family back. Please, Sookie. Please come back to me…to us."

I took a deep breath, and got down on one knee and took her left hand in mine. I did this so impossibly wrong the last time. This time would be different. I pulled my mother's ring out of my pocket, and her tear-filled eyes grew wide when she saw it.

"This belongs to you, Sookie. It will always belong to you, because my heart will always belong to you. Be mine, Sookie, and let me be yours forever."

Her hand was trembling as I slid the ring on her finger. When I looked up at her tear-stained face, she was smiling, and my heart leaped out of my chest at the sight of it. I would never forget the way she looked at that moment, because it was at that very minute she said yes to spending the rest of her life with me.

I picked her up and swung her around, my joy so intense I was unable to contain it. "Thank you, Sookie," I whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Eric," she murmured back.

"Sookie, as happy as I would be to keep you all to myself tonight, there's just one more thing we have to do."

"There's more? Jesus, Eric, I don't think my heart can stand much more excitement," she said as she watched me pull out my cell phone. "What are you doing?"

"Texting everyone I know," I said with a grin.

"What are you up to, Eric Northman?"

"Wait and see, Mrs. Northman. Wait and see."

I only typed three words,. "She said yes," before pressing the send button.

"Count to five with me," I said, smiling at her.

_One…two…three…four…five…_

The front door of the gallery flew open, and our family burst inside. Pam, Sam, Lafayette, Octavia, Jason, Daphne and then…Jacob. Sookie shrieked and ran to them, and I stood back, watching my future come back in to focus for the first time in weeks.

I needed a moment to myself to deal with the emotions that were coursing through me, and so I walked to the rear of the gallery and sat down on a bench in front of a photograph of Jacob. I wondered to myself that I could ever be so lucky. Surely no man could ever be this happy. But I knew that wasn't really true. Any man who was lucky enough to have the love of a good woman knew what I was feeling. It's pride, contentment and joy all wrapped up into one beautiful package. It was a sense that all was as it should be, that you could get through anything as long as that one amazing person was standing by your side. It was inspiration. Pure and simple.

I was so lost in my thoughts I hadn't noticed Pam had sat down beside me until she touched my shoulder. "How are you doing, brother?"

I pulled her to me, hugging her fiercely, a reflection of her devotion to me. I couldn't speak, because there were no words to describe how I felt. I just sat there in my sister's arms, crying tears of relief and joy, and she sat there and let me. And it was perfect.

A short while later, Sookie made her way back to us with Jacob in her arms. I took him from her and held his little body tightly against my chest. He pulled back and smiled at me, and I felt the familiar tug at my heart. I grabbed Sookie's hand and kissed it.

"Pam, we'll stay for a little while, but all I really want to do is take Sookie and Jacob home and spend some time with them. We've been apart for too long. Do you think you could hold down the fort?"

I could see the confusion in Sookie's eyes. "What are you talking about, Eric? What's going on? And what do you mean by 'Take Sookie and Jacob home'?"

I bent forward to kiss her, and said, "Just a few more surprises. Do you think you can handle it?"

She nodded, and Pam beamed.

"Pam, why don't you tell her the first part? I think Jake should tell her the second part," I said.

"Gladly," she replied. "Sookie, we put together the investor packets for you. We're having a fundraiser here for Adele's House tonight. Everyone who is anyone will be here, and since you were a complete knucklehead and returned Eric's check, you'll need the money we raise." Classic Pam.

The look on Sookie's face was priceless. I could see the urge to beat the shit out of us for being so high-handed flash across her face, but it passed quickly and was replaced with a huge, beautiful smile. She threw her arms around my sister's neck and hugged her for all she was worth.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Okay, okay," Pam said, pulling out of her embrace. "I think I've fulfilled my hug quotient for the evening. Your welcome, Sookie. Now, Eric, tell her what you have to tell her, then come out and mingle for a while before you leave."

"Thank you again, Pam," Sookie shouted out to her. "You're the best sister-in-law any girl could ever ask for."

Pam turned around and smiled at the three of us. She mouthed the words "I love you," and then walked away.

Sookie walked back and stood facing me. "Ok, spill," she said with one hand on her hips, and I laughed out loud. That's my girl.

"Jake, what do you say? Do you think she can handle the news?" I asked, rubbing my nose against his cheek.

He giggled loudly, and said, "Yes! Can I tell her now?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Go ahead, buddy."

"I'm going to live with you and Eric now. I've got my own family!" he said, beaming.

"What?" Sookie wailed. She faltered, and I grabbed her arm to steady her. I led her back to the bench I sat at earlier and made her sit down next to us.

"It's not an official adoption, yet, baby. But I just found out yesterday that he's ours to foster until we can get the paperwork pushed through."

"How?" was all she could get out through her tears.

"Pam. And Octavia. And a whole lot of money. And knowing important people in positions of power. He's ours, Sookie. All ours. We're a real family now." I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to us.

Her beautiful laughter rang out through her tears and she placed her hands over her eyes while she shook her head.

"What are you laughing at, Sookie?" Jake asked. I was more than a bit curious myself.

"Do you think you can handle some news, too?" She was laughing, and it was killing me not knowing what she was talking about. I nodded nervously.

"I think we're going to have to find a bigger place to live. We're going to need another bedroom," she said.

I furrowed my brow, confused for a moment, before the realization of what she was saying dawned on me. She must have seen my eyes go wide, because she laughed out loud, shrugged her shoulders and said one small word.

"_Surprise!"_


	31. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It had been a very long trip, and I was never more grateful to land at the private airfield outside of Shreveport in all my life. I missed my family dearly, and I was thrilled to finally be able to get back to them. My work has taken me to some crazy places over the past four years, and while I loved it, I loved my family more. There really is no place like home. But since I don't own a pair of ruby slippers, I'm forced to fly commercial, and that just takes too damned long, especially when the flight originates in Africa.

With Sookie's encouragement, I'd stopped taking the crappy print jobs about three and a half years ago, opting instead to go back to my first love, photojournalism. I'd invested wisely over the years, and money would never be an issue, so now I only take work that I feel passionate about. This last trip was for a national ad campaign for UNICEF. I'm pretty sure I don't need to explain why I chose it.

After grabbing my luggage and dumping it in the back of my pickup, I jumped in the driver's seat and called Sookie to let her know I was on the way.

"Eric!" Sookie squealed.

"How's my girl?" I asked. Even after four years, the sound of her voice still thrilled me to the core.

"Crazy busy. Everyone except Jason, Crystal and the twins are already here, but they're on the way. So, yeah, same as it always is…a madhouse," she replied, giggling. I'd never get tired of hearing that sound.

"Glad to know nothing's changed in my absence," I teased.

"How far away are you?" she asked.

"I just left the airport."

"Well, hurry up and get here. I need a kiss. Two weeks is way too long without one."

"Just a kiss? That's all you want?" Two weeks was definitely way too long to be away from her.

"Behave yourself, Mr. Northman. I have children within earshot."

"Tell them to put on some earmuffs. That's what Pam always does."

"I'm going to ignore that last comment. Now get your fabulous butt home so I can have my way with you."

"Sookie?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"I love you, baby. I'll see you soon."

"I love you, too." She blew a kiss through the phone before we hung up.

On the drive to the farm house, my mind wandered, thinking of all the wonderful changes that have happened over the past several years. We've had some struggles, to be sure, but we've lived a pretty blessed life thus far.

After Sookie and I renewed our vows, I began renovations on the brownstone and extended the entire building to span the entirety of both lots. I was sad when I knocked down the studio and we lost the little back yard, but I ended up creating a new studio inside the addition and built a rooftop garden, and I was very pleased with the way it all turned out. It was done at a nearly break-neck speed since we had Jake and the little one to make room for, but in the end, the building came out beautifully. We added a nursery, four more guest rooms (for our ever-increasing family's visits) and three full baths.

Life during those first several months of our marriage was difficult, but we made it through, and we're a formidable team because of it. Between the stress of dealing with Jake's adoption, her pregnancy and the constant noise and interruptions from the construction, Sookie and I found a way to be partners. When I would fly off the handle at a contractor, she stepped in and calmed the situation with her usual grace and poise. When she would fret over roadblocks in Jake's adoption proceedings, I was there to lend a shoulder and hold her up. We fit together perfectly, and the truth is, while we've had our fair share of disagreements, we've never once raised our voices to one another.

The house was completed just two weeks before the birth of our daughter, Adele, who, of course, was named for Gran. Sookie was marvelous and brave, and so beautiful when she was in labor. I didn't know it was possible to love her more, but watching her give birth to our daughter increased that love a million times over. And when I held Addie in my arms for the first time, I loved her even more for giving me that most precious gift.

Jacob's adoption was finalized nearly a year to the day we brought him home, and in the years since, he and I have grown especially close. That string I felt tugging at my heart the first time I met him has turned in to an unbreakable bond between us. Sometimes I feel like he knows me better than I know myself, and vice versa. I can tell what he's feeling without even speaking to him most of the time, just as he can with me. He's a bright, beautiful, happy boy, and I'm beyond proud of him. The first day he called me dad was one of the happiest of my life.

My thoughts naturally turn to Pam every time I think of Jacob. She was so instrumental in his adoption, and I will never, ever be able to repay her for all she's done for us. While she's still the snarkiest bitch I know, her relationship with her niece and nephew has warmed what she used to refer to as her "cold dead heart." So much so in fact that she and her partner of three years have been considering adopting a child of their own. Sookie introduced Pam and Amelia, the woman who, in truth, was responsible for bringing Jacob in to our lives, and they've been together ever since. I often tease Pam about her.

"She must be a witch," I'd say, alluding to the fact that she had to have put a spell on Pam to keep her monogamous for so long. Honestly, though, they're perfect for each other, and Amelia has been an amazing addition to our crazy family.

And then, of course, there's Sam, my oldest and dearest friend. It didn't take him long to seal the deal with Daphne. They were married not long after Addie was born. Daphne sold her restaurant in Shreveport when they got married and moved to New York. She's now one of the premier private caterers in the city, due in large part to her talent, but our connections didn't hurt, either. They had their first child, a son, last year. They named him after me, saying that it was only right since they'd never have met if it wasn't for me and Sookie.

Octavia has kept busy, especially since Sookie has been spending more time at home with Jake and Addie. She's taken over the as the Director of Adele's House, and has become a powerful voice for the children in New York who don't have a voice of their own. She's also a fabulous grandmother to my children, and they adore her. She's been like a second mother to Sookie and Jason, so she assumed the grandma role easily.

Jason met his wife, Crystal , two years ago at a bar in Shreveport, and promptly got her pregnant. They have twin girls, and it's been quite a good deal of fun watching him change from a wild child to a responsible husband and father. I'm quite certain that his poor girls will be on lock-down until they're thirty. I guess when you've been the "bad boy" long enough, you know what to look for in your daughter's potential suitors.

Then there's Lafayette. He and I have grown extremely close. He's so much like Sookie in the way he loves his family. He's fiercely loyal to and protective of my children, and he's godfather to them both. He's never had to follow through with his threat to kick my ass from Bon Temps to Shreveport, and he never will. We still have our Patron Parties a few times a year, though we've never had a replay of the "Plane's, Trains and Automobiles" incident. None that I can recall, anyways. He's still single and loving it, and though I sometimes tell him I wish he'd find someone to settle down with, he simply shushes me and tells me that we're all the family he'll ever need.

Last, but certainly not least, my thoughts turn to Sookie. They always do. She is the reason I'm the man I am today, and being her husband has brought me more joy than I can ever give words to. She is the kindest of mothers, the most compassionate person I know, and still as sexy as ever. I often get an "Ew, gross," from Jake whenever I kiss her, which is, of course, almost every time I'm in her presence. She still turns my insides to mush, and I make love with her every chance we get. She is the light of my life, the joy of my heart, and as I put it so eloquently four years ago, she's still the jewel of my belly button.

As I rounded the corner and pulled in to the long driveway of the farm house - now our summer home - I saw my family in the yard, setting up for our annual crawfish boil. Lafayette turned the hosting duties over to us two years ago, reasoning that we had more room for everyone to stay. Secretly, I think it's because he got tired of the massive cleanup afterward, but I'll never tell him that.

I parked the truck and grabbed my bag out of the back, and turned to hear Addie's sweet voice calling out to me. I dropped my bags to the ground and bent down to catch her as she ran into my arms. I picked her up, kissing her nearly white-blonde curls on the top of her head.

"Daddy!" she yelled as she threw her tiny little arms around my neck. I looked up over her shoulder to see Sookie and Jake standing on the porch, smiling at me, with the rest of our patchwork quilt family nearby.

I carried Addie to the porch and put her down, needing the arms of my son and wife to hold me as well.

"Hiya, Jake," I said, pulling him to me.

"Hey dad. We missed you. Especially mom," he said as he hugged me back. I knew my days of hugging him were numbered. He was ten years old now, and boys didn't want to hang on to their fathers once they were in their teens, so I take what I can get while I still can.

"I missed you guys, too," I said as I released him, and turned to Sookie, pulling her to my chest. She still smells like sunlight, coconuts and flowers, and her lips still taste like lemons and sugar.

"God, it's good to be back. I'm never taking another two week trip again," I said to her as I kissed her.

"Well, at least not in the next nine months, I hope," she stated.

I took a step back and looked at her beautiful face. She smiled up at me, tears welling in her eyes.

"Really?" I asked.

She just smiled and nodded, and I picked her up and spun her around. Another child. More blessings. More…_everything_.

After spinning my wife around some more, I made the rounds and said hi to the rest of the gang before going back to the truck and getting my bags. I passed Sookie in the foyer and grabbed her hand to kiss it.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower and get some of the travel dust off me. I'll be right out, okay?"

She nodded, then stood on the tips of her toes and gave me a long, deep kiss before releasing me and smacking my ass as I walked toward the hallway that led to our bedroom. As I walked, I looked at all the pictures we'd hung along the walls over the years. They told the story of our life together, and I couldn't help but smile. I saw the faces of those I loved, but more than that, I felt the hundreds of thousands of words of love that shone through them.

_Sam was definitely right. I am the luckiest S.O.B. in the world. And I'm home._


End file.
